The cargo was wet. It turned to liquid and the ship rolled over.
On 2 January 2015 the bulk carrier Bulk Jupiter capsized and sank off Vietnam with a cargo of bauxite loaded in Malaysia during heavy rain. 18 of the 19 crew died; the chief cook was the only survivor.
Words in this case
- liquefaction
- A wet fine cargo turning to liquid when the ship moves, so that it shifts.
- transportable moisture limit (TML)
- The maximum moisture content at which a cargo may be carried safely.
- Group A cargo
- An IMSBC cargo that may liquefy if too wet.
- can test
- A quick on-board check of a cargo's moisture by banging a half-filled can on a hard surface.
- capsize
- To roll over and turn upside down.
More words like these in the glossary and in listening practice.
What happened
Bulk Jupiter loaded about 46,000 tonnes of bauxite at Kuantan, Malaysia, in a period of heavy monsoon rain. Bauxite at that time was listed in the IMSBC Code as a cargo that does not liquefy, so it was shipped without the moisture tests that Group A cargoes require. The cargo was wet and contained a large proportion of fine material.
On the fourth day of the voyage, in rough weather, the ship developed a sudden heavy list. The master sent a distress message; within minutes the ship capsized and sank. One man was picked up alive from the water. The bodies of a few others were recovered; most of the crew went down with the ship.
The flag state, the Bahamas, investigated. The most likely cause was liquefaction: the wet, fine bauxite behaved like a liquid when the ship rolled, shifted to one side and capsized her. The report also found that the cargo had not been properly assessed, and that the industry's assumption about bauxite was wrong.
Why it happened
- The bauxite contained a large amount of fine particles and moisture and could liquefy, although the IMSBC Code listed it as a safe cargo.
- Loading in heavy rain added water to a cargo that was already wet; no transportable moisture limit test was required or done.
- Once the cargo liquefied in rough seas, the shift was sudden and the capsize took minutes; there was no time to launch survival craft.
What to remember on board
- Group A cargoes need a moisture certificate below the transportable moisture limit before loading; know which cargoes are Group A now, not what the list said last year.
- The can test is a five-minute check any officer can do on the quay. A wet surface means stop.
- Loading in rain adds water; cover or stop loading, and note it in the log and the mate's receipt.
- A sudden list in a loaded bulk carrier is an abandon-ship emergency, not something to investigate slowly.
What changed afterwards
The IMSBC Code was amended: bauxite with a high proportion of fines is now classified as a Group A cargo that may liquefy, with the full moisture testing regime.
Three questions
The kind of questions a knowledge test asks about this case. Keys 1 to 4 answer, Enter goes on.
Read more
Source: Report of the marine safety investigation into the loss of the Bulk Jupiter, Bahamas Maritime Authority, 2015.
On this site: Bulk carriers: the English of the ship.
Plain-English summary of an official investigation report. Facts and findings are the investigators'; the wording is ours. Nothing here is legal advice or a substitute for the report itself.