Cargo hold cleaning

The regular maintenance and cleaning of bulk carriers are considered to be an essential part of retaining a consistently smooth operation. As mentioned, this is especially important within the heavily used cargo hold area which securely houses products throughout the duration of voyages. Ship cargo hold cleaning, according to regulatory requirements, must be conducted every time a shipment is unloaded and before the next load of product is placed into the hold. There are various explanations as to why this is deemed important such as:

1. To View Hidden Vessel Damage: Cleaning the cargo hold regularly ensures that any visible damage recently caused can be viewed and subsequently tested. Failing to clean the hold can potentially hide existing damage and present a risk to the product being transported, the health and safety of the crew and even, to the bulk carrier itself.

2. To Prevent Cargo Contamination: This can be seen through insufficient or lack of regular hold washing. When contamination is found by a port/vessel’s inspector, they are likely to restrict the movement (and thus the productivity) of the subject vessel and crew until an efficient cargo hold clean has been carried out. Furthermore, if by chance an inspection of the cargo hold is approved when contamination is present, the next shipment of product will likely develop contamination by being in contact with the unsanitary space.
– For example: If the remnants of sugar from a previous shipment is not cleaned away properly, that sugar will ferment. Now when we place a new batch of sugar to be transported into that hold it will also very likely become fermented. From here the best case scenario is that a percentage of the sugar would have to be discarded (wasting much time, money and sugar) and in the worst case it could potentially be consumed (causing a spread of serious illness, hospitalization).

3. To Avoid Additional Costs: It may be obvious by now that many additional costs subsequently arise when cargo cleaning is overlooked. Product can be lost, the vessel itself can become damaged, excessive quantities of time can be spent and additional safety risks can increase. All scenarios will dramatically add to the costs of shipping goods. Cleaning the cargo hold is a simple step towards preventing these scenarios and any of the costs associated.