CARGO CARE INSPECTION AND

PREPARATION OF HOLDS
CARGO HANDLING AND STOWAGE
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• By the of this lesson, the student must be able to:

1.) Explains how bilge suctions should be checked for efficient
working scuppers and sounding pipes
2.) Describes how limbers and drain well covers should be treated to
prevent suctions being blocked by small debris, but ensuring free
drainage to the suctions.
 ACTIVITY 1: WATCH AND LEARN

• Cargo Hold Bilge Cleaning (Bulk Carrier Ships)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuCCao1VYM0
•
• Cleaning the Ship's Cargo Hold | Seaman Vlog
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is4cqxLM-N4
 INTRODUCTION

• Before loading the cargo hold of a bulk carrier or a general cargo, appropriate
inspections should be conducted in order to ensure that all the systems
related to the cargo hold are in good working order. One of the key common
issues is the cleaning of the hold from cargo residues. Various debris have the
“ability” to find their way into the systems of hold bilges making manual
removal of such debris imperative.
 INTRODUCTION

• Debris (especially foodstuff) which have been left in the bilges will decay over
time giving some of the most unpleasant smells. Hold bilges are usually
cleaned using a shovel and afterwards they must be lifted out of the hold.
Once the bilge area has been cleaned the next thing to do is to verify and
ensure that the rest of the hold bilge systems are in good working order.
Therefore the following should be checked and tested if possible: bilge
sounding pipes, bilge suctions, bilge non return valves.
 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
• Bilge - is the lowest part of a ship where the bottom curves up to meet the
sides. The water that collects there is also called bilge. Since bilge is dirty
and smelly.

• Sentina is the Spanish for bilge

• Bilge well – A sump to which bilge water drains. It is important to arrange

bilge wells in the way enabling permanent access and possibility of cleaning
even when holds are loaded.
Bilges or drain wells should be
clean, dry and sweet-smelling
disinfectants used.
As you can see it is on the lower
part of the tank top or the surface
of the cargo hold in which water
is collected including cargo
residues and dirt.
bilge cleaning is a regular routine
for bulk carrier after every cargo
discharging operation.
• Rags onboard is called “ Stoopa”

• Cleanliness of cargo hold bilges Hold bilges must be cleaned thoroughly

to remove all residue, rust particles and cargo stains etc.
• The filter (Rose Box) must be cleaned thoroughly.
• The bilge well sections shall be washed with continuous running of sea
water to remove all odour and later rinsed with fresh water.
• The bilge well must be sponged dry to remove all trace of water and
dried.
•
Bilge wells are usually provided with cover plates consisting
of gratings or robust steel perforated plates set flush with the tank-top or
recessed into it.

They are so designed to reduce the likelihood that they will be dislodged by
the bulldozes which will be used to shovel cargo into the center of the hold in
the later stages of discharge.

These plates or gratings for drainage are intended to admit water from the
hold to the bilge well and to prevent large particles of cargo from falling into
the well.
• Smaller particles of cargo can still fall into the bilge well so whenever dry
bulk cargoes are to be carried it is normal practice to line the bilge cover
plates with burlap (sacking or gunnysack).

• This is achieved by wrapping the burlap around the cover plate, replacing
the plate in its normal position and then sealing the edges of the burlap
with cement or with Ram-Nek or linen tape.

• After the fitting of the burlap the cover plate must remain flush with the
tank-top.
Bilge well Manhole cover with Burlap
• If the burlap is badly fitted and raises the cover plate proud of the tank-top
it is likely that the plate will be dislodged, the bilge well will fill with
cargo residues and the cover plate may be discharged by mistake.
•
Very fine grained cargoes such as Alumina will seep through the burlap and
fill the bilge well, setting hard after contact with water.
•
For such cargoes the bilges must be sealed with tape thereby be excluding
even water.
Bilge wells in cargo hold of bulk carrier were covered by
burlap to prevent cargo falling into it
• Debris (especially foodstuff) which have been left in the bilges will decay
over time giving some of the most unpleasant smells.

• Cargo stain.
Cargo stains are not acceptable if they rub off and risk contaminating the
next cargo.
•
Surveyors give coal and petcoke stains particular attention because these
can blister and peel the paint work if the hold starts to sweat.
 CLEANING CHEMICALS,
• There are a number of products available and the manufacturer’s
instructions for mixing proportions and the safety precautions should
always be followed.
If the recommendation is to use only freshwater to apply the chemical,
this should be followed, otherwise the application may be ineffective.
Equally, without use of the proper equipment, the application may not
work.
The chemicals are usually applied using special equipment including:
• chemical tank,
• mini-jet with air pressure of about 7 bar,
• lance with foam nozzles and extensions,
• personal protective equipment (PPE)
• After leaving the applied chemical on the bulkhead for a prescribed
time, the chemicals are washed off using a full seawater wash.

• The operation should always be finished with a freshwater wash.

• Always check the manufacturer’s guidance on compatibility with paint

systems.
• Always check with the charterer and/or shippers regarding compatibility
with the next cargo.
• Cleaning chemicals which are biodegradable and environmentally
friendly have been develop and are reported to be effective.
•
After a short period to allow the chemical to take effect the treated areas
have again to be washed with water at high pressure after which the
offending discolored patches should be gone, except in the most difficult
cases.
• Spray foam equipment is not found aboard many bulk carriers and in its
absence the cleaning must be done with the use of scaffolding,
platforms or ladders, allowing crew members to work close up to the
stains.
• Convenient and effective access equipment, capable of being used aboard
a rolling ship is, if it exists, not well known or widely available.
•
A consequence is that following the carriage of coal or petcoke a final
cleaning by shore labor is often required before a sensitive cargo can be
carried.
•
• Removal of taint by smell
•
Any extreme case of problems arising from smelly holds.
• For example a bulk carrier was fixed to load grain immediately after carrying
a cargo of Fishmeal.
She was finally passed as load ready when inspected for the tenth time, and
after thirteen days of cleaning by crew assisted, in the later stages by shore
labor and equipment
• Cleaning of bilges:

When hold washing has been completed, consideration must be given to

cleaning of the bilges.
Bilges are cleaned to ensure that they continue to function properly and do not
become blocked with residues.
In addition, they must be meticulously cleaned with every trace of matter
removed and mopped dry, if foodstuffs such as grain sugar are to be carried.
• Before a carrying gram or other foodstuffs, the bilges should be
sprayed with insecticide and rinsed with disinfectant .
When presented for inspection they must clean, dry and sweet smelling.
• Checking Bilge Suction
• Neglecting maintenance and testing of hold bilge systems can have serious
consequences, resulting in unnecessary cargo claims due to water
contamination.

• The bilge suction line in the hold bilge is normally fitted with a perforated
strum box which prevents cargo debris from entering the bilge line.
• The strum box should be thoroughly cleaned after each cargo discharge
and if possible, dismantled and checked for damage or corrosion.
• The end of the bilge suction line must be confirmed as clear, with no
debris fouling the end of the suction pipe.
TESTING OF BILGE SUCTIONS:
(1) If the holds has been washed out and the washing water has been
discharged by eductors or hold bilge pumps, there will be no need for
further testing of the hold bilge suctions.
(2) If the hold has only been swept or has not been cleaned at all, it is
necessary to test the bilge suctions to ensure that water can be pumped
out of the hold during the voyage if that becomes necessary.
(3) The testing of the bilge suctions can be combined with the flushing of
the sounding pipes.
Putting the water down the sounding pipe into the bilge well confirms that
the pipe is clear, and pumping the water out of the bilge well confirms that
the bilge pump or educator is working satisfactory.
• The correct working of the non-return valves fitted in the hold bilge – to –
engine room lines (but not in the lines of the of hold bilge adductors which
discharge directly overboard) can be tested by stopping the bilge
pump or bilge educator in the engine room, and allowing water to flood
back through the bilge line. If none enters the hold bilge the non-return
valve is working correctly.
•
Non-return valves must be overhauled on a regular basis.
This should be a requirement of the ship’s Planned Maintenance System.
– High level bilge alarms when fitted, must be tested by raising the float and
obtaining confirmation, usually by walkie-talkie radio, that the alarm has
sounded.
• To find out the quantity of water in the drain well a sounding pipe leading
from upper deck to the drain well is fitted.
• Soundings are obtained by a graduated metal rod lowered down the pipe till
it strikes the drain well or bilge.

• The rod is coated with chalk before lowering.

• If any water or liquid is in the bilges or drain well, its presence can be found
on the brass rod by examining the wetness of the chalk coating.
• In addition, a rough idea of the nature of the liquid present in the hold can
be assessed.
• For instance, if the chalk coating is wet and has turned black, you can check
whether oil or oily water is present in the drain well.
• If the ingress of the water in the hold is substantial then investigation to
assess the source may be necessary.

• It is very important to sound the bilges at least twice a day.

• Usually •the ship’s •AB’ or other assigned person takes the sounding and
records it in the sounding book and on some ships also writes it on the
sounding board.
• As a matter of routine, it is also reported to Chief Officer.
• If due to any reason water enters the hold, it can be found out at a very
early stage by sounding of the bilges.
• It is therefore essential that sounding pipes should be checked during
inspection to ensure that they are not damaged or chocked.
• The sounding pipes on the upper deck have a closing device in the form of a
lid or cap to prevent seawater entering the bilge in bad weather.
• You must ensure these are in place.
• Follow Below procedure to test Hold Bilges:
• Test bilge suction by filling bilge well with water and pumping it out.
• Non return valves fitted in the hold bilge pumping systems are to ensure
that water pumped from the hold bilges to the engine room and over-side
or into a holding tank cannot flow back via the bilge line into the hold bilge
wells and then into the cargo hold.
• The easiest way to test the non return valve is to stop the pump (or eductor)
and allow water to flood back into the bilge line up to the non return valve.
If no water enters the hold bilge then the non return valve is working
correctly. As prudent seamanship all non return valves on the bilge line
should be overhauled on a regular basis.
• Topic: Describes how limbers and drain well covers should be
• treated to prevent suctions being blocked by small debris, but
ensuring free drainage to the suctions
• To seal off the bilge system, wooden coverings called limber boards or
*bilge boards” are fitted over the face of the bilge.

• Burlap is spread over these boards and nailed with battens so that bulk
cargoes cannot enter the bilges, but water can seep through these
boards into the bilges.

• When a vessel has side bilges, it is important to check all of drainage

holes through the bilge bracket where the hull and tank top intersect.
• The ballast lines to deep tanks should be blanked when preparing to load
dry cargo
• To prevent dry cargo from being wet ballast line to deep tanks should be
blanked.
• Bilge suctions
• The perforated strum box fitting of a bilge suction line prevents cargo
residues to enter the bilge line.
• Therefore after a cargo discharge operation the strum box should be
checked and cleaned in order to ensure that the bilge suction line will not
block. If possible the strum box should also be checked for corrosion
• Since hold bilge systems are used in order to remove water from the hold,
a good way to check that the bilge suction and bilge suction line are not
blocked is to pour amounts of water into the bilge well and pump them
out watching that the whole operation pumps out expected amounts of
water. Of course if water builds up during washing then most probably a
blockage to the bilge system must have occurred and it must be
investigated.
• Non return valves
• In order to prevent water being pumped from hold bilges to the engine
room, over side or into another tank from flowing back through the bilge
line and into the hold bilge wells again, non return valves are fitted to the
hold bilge pumping systems
• Cargo debris or residues which are trapped in non return valves reduce the
pumping efficiency of hold bilges.

• The most common way of testing that non return valves are working
properly is by stopping the pumping procedure and allowing water to turn
back to the bilge line to the non return valve.

• If the non return valve is working properly then no water should enter the
hold bilge, but if water flows into the hold bilge, the non return valve,
normally situated in the stool space or duct keel, is not working correctly.
• Cleaning of spaces contaminated by odorous cargo

• If either the drain wells or any portion of the hold is contaminated by

odorous cargo, these spaces can be treated with deodorising agents.

• Usually, a solution contains 250gms of chloride of lime mixed with 10 litres

of fresh water is used.
•
• First the drain well or the affected area is washed with a solid stream of
fresh water.
• Thereafter, the affected area is swabbed down with the chlorate of lime
solution. if the odour persists some of the powder can be sprinkled in the
area.
• There is another powerful deodorising agent called “HTH” (High Test
Hypochlorate), which also comes in powder form.
• A tablespoon of HTH added to a bucket of water and the mixture poured
in the bilges is sufficient to deodorise the area. Caution – HTH powder
should not be left in the area.

• If the solution of HTH is very strong, it will, of course, eradicate the odour
of previous cargo, but the odour of HTH itself may damage the next cargo!

• After discharge and cleaning of the hold, the odour persisted. To get rid of
this odour, coffee sweepings were burnt in the hold with the help of coffee
burners. The foul fishmeal stink vanished and hold was filled with nice
aroma of coffee.
• An ozone generator is a device designed to produce the gas ozone.

• Ozone is used effectively in water purification, but ozone in air must

reach high levels to remove air pollutants.

• Health experts warn that it is important to control conditions to ensure

that no person or pet becomes exposed to high levels of ozone
•