KR Publishes Guidance for Container Loading on Bulk Carriers

Classification society the Korean Register (KR) has published guidance outlining the technical measures necessary to safely load and carry containers on bulk cargo ships amid the current sustained unprecedented boom in the box shipping market.

With the recent unprecedented boom in the maritime transport market, demand from shipping companies wanting to load and transport containers on bulk cargo ships has increased significantly as a way to resolve the shortage of container ships.

Bulk cargo ships, which are used for the transport of unpacked cargo such as grain or ore, and are not usually designed for the purpose of carrying containers, are increasingly being used transporting containers due to the present shortage of containerships.

In order to safely load containers, additional measures such as safe loading, the lashing of containers, the installation of fixed fire extinguishers and the protection of dangerous goods need to be followed, and technical reviews of the structural strength and stability of the ship must be undertaken, KR said. The classification society has therefore published new technical guidance listing the technical matters that must be examined.

Available to be downloaded from KR's website, the guidance is divided into two parts, firstly requirements for cargo hold loading and secondly, requirements for on-deck loading. Whether a ship meets the requirements must be examined by classification societies. Once a ship meets the requirements, it can load and carry containers from a technical perspective, even if it is not designed for container transport.