Nickel Ore Cargoes - Another Vessel Lost
Loss Prevention bulletin
Following the publication of Notice to Members No.23 2010/2011 “Dangers of Carrying Nickel Ore from Indonesia, New Caledonia and the Philippines”, another vessel carrying nickel ore has sunk with heavy loss of life. The cargo was again loaded in Indonesia. Serious near misses involving this commodity have also been reported.
Members contemplating the carriage of nickel ore should consider these events very carefully. Indeed, until the situation becomes clearer Members may wish to list nickel ore as an excluded cargo when negotiating or renegotiating time charter parties.
The importance of following the requirements of Notice to Members No.23 2010/2011 cannot be over emphasised. Members who plan to fix or charter a vessel to load nickel ore are reminded that they must contact the Managers before entering into the fixture and that failure to do so may result in cover being prejudiced. Members should also bear in mind that the independent sampling and testing of the cargo to determine whether or not it is safe to load may result in considerable delay.
Flow table test of nickel ore (Photo: Brookes Bell)
Nickel ore mine in Indonesia (Photo: Brookes Bell)