Principles of General Cargo Planning and Stowage - Assignment Example

Question A report for management on the "Principles of General Cargo Planning and Stowage". Introduction One of the mundane tasks faced by cargomanagers is delivering the cargoes from the port of origin to the port of destination at the best handling methods and the best conditions of the cargoes as possible. Report of the Canadian Board of Marine Underwriters Association as cited by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade stated that approximately 83% of all cargo losses are preventable and about 45% of these preventable losses are caused by poor handling and stowage. Added to that, the cargo manager must ensure that the stowing process is as cost effective as possible. There are two sides considered in the cargo shipping business. On the one hand the better cargo services dictate customer satisfaction and thereby create reputation and subsequent repeat services. In the other hand a good cargo service coupled with cost effective methods would redound to better business performance. Cargo Basic Shipping Information for Better Planning Better cargo handling and stowage can only be achieved with good planning and better execution of plans. To be most successful in designing a cost effective cargo and stowage plan requires basic information crucial in the performance of cargo ships. These include data as to the ships capacity and the storage area's physical parameters. The ships capacity covers both volume and the weight of the total cargo which is an initial input to better planning. Another is the cargo itself. The cargo type including its physical conditions, forms, and other parameters are an important factor in determining storage location and handling methods. The ports of origin and destinations must also be evaluated. The data on ports conditions including availability of basic or sophisticated facilities for cargo handling and regulatory policies must be properly considered. Finally, the ships cargo history from port to port must also be analyzed for better planning. The cargo manager must take into consideration what cargoes comes in and comes out in the ship from port to port including the types and volumes of these cargoes. Wilson and Roach (2000) clearly considers suitable placement of containers in a container-ship on a multi-port journey as a requirement to facilitate optimum ease in loading and unloading at subsequent ports. The Cargo Placement and Stowage Plan The aforementioned data combined together will be a very important tool in deciding what handling methods must be employed, where to place the cargoes, who must be involved, and how the stowing must be executed. Cargo placement In placing cargoes, the basic principle of what must come out first at destination port must comes in last at ports of origin must be considered. A carefully evaluated cargo listing will provide better cargo placement plan. Cargoes that must be unloaded in the nearest port must be located in areas where they can be moved without obstructions. Cargoes intended for last port of destination must be placed in more secure locations where they cannot obstruct loading and unloading at intermediary ports. Cargoes must also be placed according to physical and chemical compositions to avoid dangers of contaminations due to spillage and other accidents. Cargo managers today are more fortunate than earlier years due to availability of computerized systems of cargo placement planning. Simulation programs that generate good sub-optimal solutions to the stowage pre-planning problem are now available. The process is an analysis of the domain allowing the problem to be divided into a generalized placement strategy and a specialized placement procedure. The system refines the arrangement of containers within the cargo-space of a container ship until each container is specifically allocated to a stowage location. Better cargo placements is determined before it is really executed thereby providing room for better adjustment in a cost effective way (Wilson, Roach, & Ware, 2001). Use of these systems is therefore necessary for a cargo shipping company. Handling and Stowage As cited earlier handling and stowage caused an alarming amount of cargo losses in the shipping process and therefore must be properly considered by shipping companies. The loss are associated with several factors such as the levels of sophistication of the handling and stowage equipment, the levels of skills of the personnel involved in the processes, and other environmental factors. Among the most common problems are caused by improper forklift operations, pushing and dragging cargo when inadequate material handling equipment or inexperienced labor are used, weight of superimposed packages, failure to keep stacks plumb, and long-term storage that results in crushing. Conclusion Better cargo planning is a management decision that determines how a shipping company would perform in the cargo forwarding market. Whether to employ better planning tools, to acquire better handling and stowage equipment, and to utilize highly skilled manpower in cargo handling would entail additional investment but may provide a better performance and cost effective methods of cargo planning and management in the long term. Word count = 800 Question 2: Failures in the carriage of containers by sea. Introduction Damage to cargoes is among the most frequent type of liability a ship-owner face (Skuld, 2008). Although it is preventable, most shipping companies are facing the same problems through the years. It has been reported that 43% of cargo losses are accredited to poor handling and stowage. During sea voyage the ships experience rolling, pitching, heaving, surging, swaying and yawing which are caused by sea roughness. High and low temperature exposures of cargoes during the voyage, flooding, stranding, and collisions can happen. These causes, compounded with improper stowing and carriage systems are crucial factor that may result in severe damages to the cargoes. Among the major failures experienced in sea cargoes are physical damages such as deformation, cracking, breakage, and the likes; chemical damages such as spillage, contamination, leaking, spoilage, and the likes. Most of these damages are caused by failures of carriages in containers of sea cargoes. Common Causes and Effects of cargo failures The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (2000) identified major reasons considered singly or in combination that caused the problems. These include lack of support or bracing, tight stowing or no separation, container leaks, over-stacking, no proper layering, and loose stowing. Bracings and straps are necessary supports for cargoes stowed in containers to avoid movements from side to side. They are important especially for containers, which are loosely stowed. Containers which are stowed with cargoes according to capacity also need proper strapping and bracing. Meanwhile, forcing cargoes into a container beyond the volumetric capacity would cause too much pressure on individual cargoes which may result in bursting, tearing, cracking, and other pressure related damages. Direct contact of cargoes with each other may also cause undesirable reaction especially for unstable materials. Sometimes shippers overlook cargoes which are water or moisture sensitive and less emphasis would be given to prevent exposure from water or high humidity areas. In like manners, damages in the containers itself may cause leaks of outside water into the cargoes. In the other aspect cargoes have their stacking limit that over-stacking may cause bursting, breaking, cracking and other related effects on cargo packages or the product itself. Improper layering or irregular stacking of goods in the container may not maximize their capacity. Grouping products in a systematic layering will not only prevent over-stacking but also make use of space efficiently. Sometimes poor planning will lead to having containers which are over and under-utilized. Cargoes loosely packed in containers have high chance of toppling and being damaged in the process. Common remedies to control cargo damages The aforementioned causes of major cargo damages are highly preventable with proper cargo management through better planning, container selection, packing and stowing techniques, and proper use of materials such as bracings, pallets, and dunnage. Above all these the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (2000), Skuld (2008), Absorbtech (2008), and other private and government regulatory entities recommended remedies and steps to minimize if not eliminate the damages: These include the following: 1. Analyze the type of cargo to be shipped prior to stowing and loading into the vessel. These include weight, volume and characteristics. Products must not violate any restrictions for shipment. The products must also be properly identified, declared, and special handling recommendations must be advised by the shipper through the Bill of Lading prior to acceptance by the shipping company. All initial conditions of the goods must be properly recorded to be used as reference upon inspection at the destination port. 2. With proper identification of the cargo, container type and size, handling and loading process, and packing method selection would be easy. If the cargo is not palletized, goods should be stowed on pallets. The weight of the cargo and the capacity of the containers both volume and weight must match or must not exceed the permitted net weight. 3. Stowing and loading should follow the concept of balance, each way, in the container. Record or take photographs of the arrangement of the cargoes in the containers. Stow, block, and lash the goods in the container in a manner that will prevent damage to the goods, container or transport vehicle. Proper layering is also important for it maximize the capacity of the containers. As far as practicable, use the lashing points attached to container walls and floors to secure the cargo. Provide support on large void spaces in a container by means of wooden bulkheads. Ensure that the containers are properly secured in the cargo area of the ship and all doors are properly locked and sealed. 4. Consider placement of the cargoes according to their types. Drums and liquid containers are sealed tightly and not leaking with container walls not exposed to localized pressure from other protruding cargo. Labels and directional arrows and warnings must be visible to the loading and unloading personnel to avoid mishandling. It is recommended that all hazardous materials must be placed at the rear doors of the container where they are accessible and separate from sensitive cargoes such as food stuff, and related products. The above recommendations are basically important to ensure good conditions of cargoes at normal sea voyage conditions. There are circumstances however those damages cannot be avoided like during harsh climatic conditions. Despite these threats the damage to cargoes would be highly reduced with the application of those measures. In carrying these recommendations, it is the will of the shipping company and the discipline of the shipping personnel that count much in the success of the business. Word count = 900 References Absortech International. 2008. How To Protect Your Cargo Against Moisture Damage. Retrieved on Jan 3, 2008 from http://www.absortech.com/index.phpid=33 Skuld. 2008. Safely with Skuld: How to prevent losses on board ship. Retrieved on Jan 3, 2008 from www.skuld.com/.../Publications/Safely%20with%20Skuld%202005/ Damage%20to%20cargo.pdf The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service. 2000. Safe Stowage: 3rd Ed. Retrieved on Jan 2, 2008 from http://www.infoexport.gc.ca/shipping/SafeStowage-e.pdf United Nations. 1978. United Nations Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea (The Hamburg Rules) Hamburg, 30 March 1978. Retrieved on January 3, 2008 from http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/un.sea.carriage.hamburg.rules.1978/doc.html Wilson, I. D and P. A. Roach. 2000. Container Stowage Planning: A Methodology for Generating Computerised Solutions. The Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 51, No. 11 (Nov., 2000), pp. 1248-1255 Retrieved on Jan 2, 2008 from http://links.jstor.org/sicisici=0160-5682%28200011%2951%3A11%3C1248% 3ACSPAMF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage Wilson, I. D, Roach P. A. and Ware J. A. 2001.Container stowage pre-planning: using search to generate solutions, a case study. Knowledge-Based Systems Volume 14, Issues 3-4, June 2001, Pages 137-145. Read More