Background Members will be well aware of the risks of liquefaction of mineral ore cargoes shipped in bulk. The Association has provided regular updates to Members on both the technical causes as well as the practical and legal solutions to this persistent challenge. If done well, the shipments can proceed safely and profitably. When they go wrong, it can mean not just financial loss through delay and dispute, but tragedy including the loss of the vessel and her crew can - and have - followed. A new Frontier While in the past the Association has addressed these warnings in relation to shipments originating out of certain Asian regions, there is now a new region opening up to the international mineral ore bulk trade : West Africa. It is a region that has experienced, up to very recent times and beyond, war and conflict, as well as political instability. Yet, it is also a region that has received new (or perhaps in part renewed) economic interest, in particular as China and India look to continue to diversify their sourcing of commodity requirements. Countries that have been in the news, for a number of reasons, include Liberia and Sierra Leone, both of which are sources of mineral bulk ores for the international market. Both countries are recovering after periods of prolonged and intense conflict. In Liberia in particular, foreign investment has come in to develop the iron ore trade. This has included the re-building of railways connecting the mining area in Yekepa to the port of Buchanan. Port infrastructure and installations have also been the recipient of significant foreign investment. What Members can expect When loading mineral ore in bulk in West Africa, Members need to be aware that infrastructure, know-how and administration may all be in a development phase and may not be of the same standard as Members have experienced elsewhere. Cargoes such as iron ore fines may be transported from mines in open railway wagons or trucks. In some places the cargo is s