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| | | General Cargo Ships and Safety | International Maritime Organization
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|  During the last hundred years shipping, like other forms of transport has undergone great changes. Until the end of the last century most goods at sea were carried in packaged form. Grain, for example, was carried in sacks and cotton in bales. Very few liquids were carried at all, but those that were - including oil - were usually carried in barrels. Cargoes in fact were carried in much the same way as they always had been. Today everything has changed. Oil is the major commodity carried at sea in bulk; so are grain, coal and other minerals. Containerization is now common and the general cargo ship has in many trades been replaced by specialized vessels such as container ships, ro-ro ships and car carriers among others. | | | | Virtually all liquids transported by sea - such as crude oil and finished petroleum products - are carried in bulk, and tankers now form by far the greatest percentage of the world fleet of merchant ships. The second biggest group consists of solid bulk cargo carriers. The goods carried in this way include coal, grains, ores, concentrates, fertilizers and animal feeds. From the shippers' point of view bulk carriage has numerous advantages. A bulk cargo can be loaded and unloaded far more quickly than one that is unitized, thereby leading to great savings in time and money. However, there are a number of dangers in the carriage of bulk cargoes which include the following: | | | | 1. Improper weight distribution resulting in structural damage. This can be caused by putting too much weight on the inner bottom of the ship or by wrongly distributing the cargo between holds, leading to excessive stresses on the ship's structure. 2. Improper stability and cargo shift. Another result of improper loading can be excessive stability. This leads to the normal rolls of the ship becoming shorter but much more violent. Apart from being extremely uncomfortable for those on board, this can in turn lead to damage to the ship's structure.
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| Newsletter February 2010
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| Dear UN Atlas Member,
The tragedy of the devastating earthquake in Haiti has been compounded by the logistical problems of a small island reliant on sea transport. As the country now prepares for the rainy season and the subsequent hurricane season, the United Nations is encouraging many residents of the overcrowded capital to return to the countryside. World Wetlands Day, celebrated on 2 February, reminds us of the importance of wetlands along the ocean coasts. The World Wetlands Day theme for this year is wetlands, biodiversity and climate change, with the slogan: Caring for wetlands – an answer to climate change.
If this newsletter may interest someone you know, please forward it.
Contribute to and participate in the growing Atlas community by becoming an active Member of the UN Atlas today!
Thank you,
The UN Atlas of the Oceans Editors
Visit the UN Atlas of the Oceans Web site
Comments? Please write to UN-Atlas-Oceans-Project@fao.org | |
Read more at http://www.oceansatlas.o ... 2010.html.
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