Author Topic: Bombshell! Vale: No More Ships! - Vale Beijing going to Rotterdam!  (Read 18029 times)

BobS

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Re: Bombshell! Vale: No More Ships! - Vale Beijing going to Rotterdam!
« Reply #30 on: December 16, 2011, 01:09:19 PM »
Sorry, Ted, not quite closed yet!
Since I first got myself involved with shipping in the 1960s, I have witnessed the ridicule and denegration of, first, Japanese, then Korean and now Chinese shipbuilding standards
« Last Edit: December 16, 2011, 10:54:43 PM by Bob Scott »

Offline John Jones

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Re: Bombshell! Vale: No More Ships! - Vale Beijing going to Rotterdam!
« Reply #31 on: December 16, 2011, 11:37:47 PM »
The cracks in the hull of the 'VALE BEIJING' may indeed be attributable to loading procedures. This vessel has Det Norske Veritas's Easy Loading 2 (EL) voluntary notation which allows each hold to be fully loaded in one go which is known as 'single-pass' loading.
The commercial benefits of this procedure, rather than part loading each hold equally in turn are massive on a ship of this size reducing the loading time from 26 hours to less than 12 hours. However 'Easy' loading requires a synchronised deballasting of the vessel and any potential failure of the ballast water operation is likely to be seen as a potential cause of increasing the stresses on the hull.
In any case stresses on the hull can be enormous with loading rates at Ponta de Madeira reaching 16,000 tonnes/hour so the localised shear forces acting on sections of the hull increase as each hold is totally filled.
Photographs of the vessel being towed after the cracks appeared show iron-ore waste around the hatches of all but no. 5 hold suggesting this one was not loaded when the cracks appeared.
What is also interesting is that Ore Carriers, being a specialised type, do not have to comply with the CSR's (Common Structural Rules) introduced by the Classification Societies to improve the structural strength of standard tankers and bulkers.
The vessel has dual classification with DNV and the Korean Register and was built by the highly respected STX. No doubt in depth investigations will be carried out by these bodies to determine the cause, we will just have to wait with interest.
Best Regards
John J.
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