Containers

[StephenSails]

Containers.

These big floating hazards that pose such a danger do not seem to be attached to the ships the fall off, is it me or is this bloody dangerous, stupid and inconsiderate?

 

[Danny_Labrador]

What are you thinking of a rope or a wire ?

 

[StephenSails]

More a locking system of some sort. If I drive down the road with an unsafe load on the trailer then the local bobbys can bust me for it.

 

[Samphire]

I guess if they fall off in heavy weather (which is presumably when they do fall off) and remain attached to the ship the chances of damaging the ships hull are pretty high.Much easier to let it go and hope for the best.
Only risk is to a few yachties..........

 

[AJW]

Containers are attached to ships by twistlocks (metal T-bar type thingy) at each corner and by lashings (cables or chains). Considering the number of them that are supposed to be lost overboard each year vs the number you, I or someone else first hand has actually seen, I don't think its much of a problem. Or put it another way I used to ship 3000 containers p.a. into UK and in the 3 years doing that never lost one!

 

[Samphire]

Maybe I exagurate but don't some of these super contaner ships carry more than that on each trip.While many are lost ,I imagine most eventually sink. However its cold comfort sailing at night in dirty conditions thinking to yourself as you huddle under the sprayhood,what if?

 

[Deleted member 478]

When on watch, I am more worried about being hit in the eye by a flying fish.

 

[Talbot]

make sure your boat has some form of protection for the bows - watertight section, bulbous bow or whatever so that should one of these metal icebergs be in the wrong place, the biggest problem is getting wedged on top of it rather than sinking by it!

 

[clouty]

Someone who should know, said that when he was working on a less than brand new merchant vessel, on one voyage, the skipper jettisoned containers as the weight and windage was threatening the seakeeping of the ship, in particularly heavy weather. But look on the bright side, if the ship had foundered, there may have been far more rubbish floating about, not to mention the potential loss of life.

He also assured me that containers are deliberately not watertight, in order that they will eventually fill and sink.

Do you think this is correct information? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Sanderling_]

They might not be watertight but just think about the contents. All those boxes holding computers and TV's packed in all that polystyrene. There always seems to be more polystyrene than box after you have unpacked it.

/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Superstrath]

Locked AND lashed, wire and chain. We never lost one off deck despite being through some v. nasty weather, and I've never seen one floating around either. I'm sure some DO go overboard from time to time, but there is a more realistic danger to yachts from logs and such. Last August the Firth Of Clyde was awash with trees and logs for several days.

Alistair

 

[powerskipper]

You mean these guys,

 

[StephenSails]

Yep, and how exactly does he see in front of his bow?

 

[Deleted member 478]

[ QUOTE ]
...packed in all that polystyrene. There always seems to be more polystyrene than box after you have unpacked it.

[/ QUOTE ]
The good thing is that polystyrene absorts water and therefore looses its bouyancy and soon enough, the container will sink. But flying fish still fly.

 

[Shakey]

[ QUOTE ]
How does he see in front of his bow?

[/ QUOTE ]

Radar and CCTV.

 

[StephenSails]

When they can be bothered!

 

[snooks]

Watertight Containers

A friend who worked for a shipping line told me that all the containers are water tight, the reason being that some of them sit in water in the hull of the ship, and it's not just a few inches either /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[danera]

How to lose them (from cargolaw.com):

 

[Mirelle]

I\'m in the business; I manage large containerships. Anyone want FACTS?

"Superstrath" is right, but rather out of date; wire lashings were never very good, the Super Straths were really tweendeckers carrying a few boxes, and the last Super Strath that I remember was STRATHETTERICK which hit the capsized wreck of the Da Qing 236 in 1983 or thereabouts. Still, they were better than the Super P's.

In 2005:

1. Yes of course containers are secured. By class society approved lashing systems consisting of twist locks on the corner castings, lashing rods and turnbuckles. We don't use wire because it stretches. A container ship is loaded so far as possible with the heavy boxes at the base of the stack or ideally in the holds - a partial exception to this rule applies to reefer containers which are typically heavy but which have to go on deck because of the heat that the integral refrigeration units kick out. These we try to put at the base of the deck stacks.

Container stowage is a skilled business and stowage planning is always done by deck officers, in accordance with the ship's stability criteria and the discharge plan.

2. No, it would be quite impossible, and very dangerous, for a ship to deliberately jettison containers at sea. Just think about it -a stack may weigh 70 tons. Do you imagine that someone is going to deliberately cast off lashings and open the twistlocks, in heavy weather at sea? This idea is a hangover from the lashing systems used for softwood timber deck cargoes, where a ship is allowed a reduced freeboard because of the bouyancy of the cargo, and the lashings are arranged to permit jettisoning. It does not happen with containers. Besides, with a ship carrying several thousand containers and a crew of between 18 and 22 men, what possible good would jettisoning one stack do?

3. Yes, containers are OCCASIONALLY lost overboard. OCCASIONALLY!!! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
We did not lose any last year; one of our hated competitors lost quite a few - 40 or so- in the Bay of Biscay. We might lose some this year; fingers crossed. Yes the expanded polystyrene packaging means that some float for a long time.

4. No, boxes are not watertight; they are weathertight. No, they do not sit in feet of water at the bottom of the holds; that is what the bilge pumps are for.

5. Yes the forward visibility is poor. But it is not that bad. Remember also that these ships may be making 25 knots - 30 mph - and the OOW is probably using ARPA radar as his principal means of collision avoidance. He may alter course towards you to avoid a ship that you have not even seen yet, but which is a hazard to him.

Next? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BrendanS]

Re: I\'m in the business; I manage large containerships. Anyone want FACTS?

I stayed schtumm (could have posted about 50% of this from reading your previous threads on the matter), knowing that you'd see this and pop in. I love it when knowledgable people join a thread, and demolish some of the preconceptions many have.

Someone posted on here somewhile back, about a wonderful talk from a pilot in the Southampton area giving talks on piloting container ships in, when they have little forward visibility. Do you know anyone who could give a good talk to my club? After Alan Priddy last year, we've been rather spoilt.