Reasons for a general inspection of holds are as follows:-
The hold of a dry bulk ship must be prepared suitably to receive the intended cargo, so as to fulfill the need to carry and ultimately discharge without any damage or deterioration of the cargo. To achieve this the hold must be inspected entirely covering all parts from top to bottom including the bilges.
items to be inspected
1) Hatch covers / coamings/ drain channels.
2) Tank top / Watertight manholes covers.
3) Hoppers, top, and bottom
4) Sounding pipes/ temperature pipes ( if fitted).
5) Ventilators
6) Ladders
7) Shipside frames including brackets.
8) Any other ship specific.
It is important to clean all holds before loading
If holds are not cleaned thoroughly, the precious cargo will get mixed up with the new cargo, hence contaminating it.
The general method of cleaning holds after the discharge of general cargo is as under:-
Thoroughly sweep, remove the dry cargo, then hose it down with seawater, finally rinsing with Freshwater if required, and drying manually or with ventilation.
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