Nickel Ore Liquefaction Causes Bulker Grounding in Philippines

The liquefaction of nickel ore cargo is being eyed within the grounding of a Singapore-flagged bulk service within the Philippines.

The Philippines Coast Guard experiences that the MV Alam Manis, a 55,652 DWT bulk service owned by Malaysian Bulk Carriers, ran aground Friday within the neighborhood of Candon City after growing a extreme listing.

[contextly_sidebar id=”QL6QNF5UM9ftmgc5Uo0Mo8OarF2dkhXR”]The vessel was reported to be carrying a cargo of nickel ore from Surigao City within the Philippines to China when it encountered big swells, which drenched the ship’s cargo and prompted the vessel to lose stability.

The captain gave the order to desert ship and all 21 crew members have been picked up by escort tug Salviscount. Tragically, the ship’s chief mate died attributable to coronary heart assault, the Philippines Coast Guard stated.

An announcement from Malaysian Bulk Carriers stated that “As a result of heavy weather conditions and adverse swell, the cargo in holds No 1 & 2 shifted, resulting in the vessel listing by 14 degrees starboard.”

AIS knowledge on Monday confirmed the 2007-built MV Alam Manis stopped simply off the coast of Candon City with the Salviscount within the neighborhood.

Liquefaction is a phenomena by which a dry cargo turns into liquified, which might trigger a ship to lose stability shortly and unexpectedly because of the inside shifting of cargo.

Liquefaction has lengthy been recognized to be a serious supply of marine casualties. Nickel ore, which is listed within the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC) as a high-risk ‘Group A’ cargo, is especially weak to liquefaction and has earned the nickname because the world’s most harmful cargo due its function in a number of high-profile casualties.

The incident involving the Alam Manis prompted the UK P&I Club to challenge an alert to shippers and masters concerned within the transport of nickel ore cargoes.

“The rainy season in Philippines officially started on 23 June this year. The heavy rains combined with the strong winds and rough seas experienced in South China Sea lately bring forward, once again, concerns about cargo liquefaction,” the membership stated.