General cargo and heavy-lift ships: the English of the ship
General cargo and multipurpose ships carry anything that fits in a hold or on a hatch: steel, bags, project cargo, machinery, timber, containers. Their English is the English of cranes, slings, dunnage and lashings, and of the mate's receipt.
A general cargo ship is the all-rounder: geared with its own cranes, tween decks or box holds, flexible hatch covers, and a crew that handles a different cargo every port. Steel coils today, bagged rice tomorrow, a transformer of three hundred tonnes next week. Heavy-lift ships are the specialists, with cranes that lift what no port crane can and a stability calculation for every lift.
The English is the English of stevedores and surveyors: slings, spreaders, dunnage, lashings, tally, mate's receipt, remarks, damage. The Chief Officer argues about the condition of cargo in writing, because a clean bill of lading for damaged cargo is a claim against the ship.
Safety is about working under loads and in holds: the cargo gear register, the SWL on every crane and sling, the tween deck opening nobody saw, the stevedore who walked under the lift. Tests for these positions ask about cargo gear, securing and the paperwork.
Words you will use every day (26)
- Tween deck
- The intermediate deck inside a hold that divides it into two levels; can be folded or removed on multipurpose ships.
- Box hold
- A hold with straight sides, no obstructions, that takes containers and awkward cargo easily.
- Derrick and crane
- The ship's own lifting gear; modern ships have deck cranes, older ones derricks with topping lifts and guys.
- Safe working load (SWL)
- The maximum load a crane, sling or shackle may lift, marked on it and recorded in the register.
- Cargo gear register
- The book (chain register) with the tests and inspections of every crane, wire, block and sling; inspected by port state and stevedores.
- Sling, spreader, shackle
- The gear between the hook and the cargo: wire or textile slings, a spreader beam to keep them apart, shackles to connect.
- Tag line
- A rope on the load that the deck crew uses to control its swing without standing under it.
- Heavy lift
- A single piece too heavy for normal gear; needs a lift plan, ballast to counter the list and often two cranes in tandem.
- Project cargo
- Large industrial pieces (turbines, reactors, cranes) shipped for one project, with engineered stowage and securing.
- Break-bulk
- Cargo loaded piece by piece: bags, bales, drums, crates, coils.
- Dunnage
- Timber, mats or air bags placed under and between cargo to protect it, spread the weight and let air circulate.
- Lashing and securing
- Wires, chains, straps and welded stoppers that hold cargo against the ship's motion; calculated under the CSS Code.
- Sea fastening
- Steel work welded to the deck to hold project cargo; removed by cutting at the discharge port.
- Stowage factor
- The volume one tonne of a cargo occupies; decides whether the ship fills up or reaches her deadweight first.
- Cargo plan
- The drawing of what goes where in the holds, by port of discharge, so that nothing is over-stowed.
- Stevedores
- The shore workers who load and discharge the cargo; the ship's officers supervise, count and inspect.
- Tally
- The count of pieces loaded or discharged, by the ship and by the shore, compared at the end.
- Mate's receipt
- The receipt signed by the Chief Officer for cargo received on board, with remarks about its condition; the bill of lading is issued on it.
- Clean bill of lading
- A bill of lading without remarks about damage; it must only be issued if the cargo really was in good order.
- Remarks and damage report
- The written note of torn bags, rusty coils or dented crates before loading, so the ship is not blamed later.
- Cargo sweat and ship sweat
- Condensation on the cargo or on the hull, controlled by ventilating on the dew point rule.
- Timber deck cargo
- Logs or sawn timber stowed on the hatches and deck, with uprights and lashings under the TDC Code; it absorbs water and shifts.
- Steel coils
- Heavy rolled steel stowed on dunnage with wedges and lashings; a favourite question because they roll and crush.
- Packaged dangerous goods
- Drums, crates and tanks with IMDG-classed cargo: marked, segregated and listed on the manifest.
- Hatch cover (folding or pontoon)
- The cover that closes the hold; on multipurpose ships often folding, driven by hydraulics or a wire.
- List during a lift
- The ship heels towards the load when a heavy piece leaves the quay; ballast is shifted the other way beforehand.
Ten things you will hear
Rig the crane for a forty-tonne lift: spreader, four slings, shackles checked.
Chief Officer to the Bosun before a heavy piece.Heavy lift at fourteen hundred; ballast the port side to keep her upright when the load comes on.
Chief Officer to the engine room and the bridge.Dunnage under the steel coils, two layers athwartships, wedges both sides.
Chief Officer to the stevedore foreman.Mate's receipt with remarks: ten bags torn and re-bagged, two crates dented.
Chief Officer to the agent at the end of loading.Stevedores in hold two, nobody under the load, tag lines on.
Deck watch during discharge.Lashings on the deck cargo checked before departure; wires tight, stoppers welded.
Chief Officer to the Master.Tween deck hatch open, guard rails up, warning tape across the ladder.
Bosun to the crew before hold work.Tally count: one thousand and eight pallets loaded, shore tally one thousand and six, check the difference.
Deck cadet to the Chief Officer.Cargo sweat expected tonight; do not ventilate, the dew point outside is higher.
Chief Officer's night order.Chain register: crane wire renewed last month, annual test due in March.
Chief Officer to the port state inspector.
Numbers are said digit by digit on board: "one decimal five", "channel one six", "zero seven three zero". Train your ear in listening practice.
Safety on general cargo and heavy-lift ships
- Nobody under a suspended load, ever; tag lines control the swing, and the signalman is the only person who talks to the crane driver.
- Cargo gear: the SWL is marked and never exceeded, the register is up to date, and a damaged sling is cut up, not put back on the hook.
- Holds are deep: open tween deck hatches, ladders slippery with grain or oil, and dunnage full of nails; guard rails, lighting and a harness where needed.
- Heavy lifts change the stability: the lift plan, the ballast and the list are calculated before, and the ship is watched during the lift.
- Securing under the CSS Code: cargo that shifts in a seaway damages the ship as well as itself; lashings are checked after every bout of heavy weather.
- Stevedores are guests in a dangerous place: the ship coordinates, keeps its own crew out of their working area, and stops work that looks wrong.
- Packaged dangerous goods and timber deck cargo have their own codes and their own drills; a leaking drum in a tween deck is an enclosed space emergency.
What recruitment tests ask
- SWL, the cargo gear register and test intervals for lifting gear.
- Mate's receipt, remarks and the clean bill of lading.
- Dunnage, stowage factor and the cargo plan.
- Securing under the CSS Code, sea fastening and heavy-lift stability.
- Timber deck cargo, steel coils and packaged dangerous goods.
Sit the general cargo knowledge test: 30 questions for your rank
The full test mixes up to eight questions on general cargo and heavy-lift ships with the STCW areas for your rank group, under a 30-minute clock. The names of commercial tests are used on this site only to describe what our training prepares you for.
Quiz: 10 questions on general cargo and heavy-lift ships
One question at a time, feedback after every answer, score at the end. Keys 1 to 4 answer, Enter goes on.
Sources: CSS Code and the Cargo Securing Manual, TDC Code (timber deck cargo), IMDG Code, ILO Convention 152 and the cargo gear register, SOLAS VI.