The London P&I Club has advised shipowners to seek advice before loading bagged rice cargoes in view of the inherent risks associated with the trade and an increase in the severity of claims in recent years. In the latest issue of its StopLoss Bulletin, the club notes that poor freight markets have seen an increase in the number of owners employing their ships in the bagged rice trades. It says the size of individual consignments being shipped from southeast Asia to the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa has also increased…