BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION DECEMBER 2023 THE LACK OF HATCH COVER MAINTENANCE AND/OR IMPROPER REPAIRS TO HATCH COVERS HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF WATER INGRESS INTO THE CARGO HOLDS WHICH CAN LEAD TO CARGO DAMAGE. HATCH COVER MAINTENANCE In addition to the financial and insurance claims, there are other potentially more serious consequences that need to be considered: • Fire – is the cargo being carried likely to self heat or combust when wet? • Accelerated corrosion – is the cargo being carried reactive to moisture (e.g. sulphur)? • Loss of stability – is the cargo being carried prone to liquefaction when wet? Any one of the above could potentially lead to the loss of the vessel and possible loss of life. Through the Club’s condition programme and data taken from claims histories, certain trends have been noted with regard to hatch cover maintenance or rather the lack of maintenance and also the lack of awareness of ship staff to the maintenance requirements. Unfortunately, there seems to be an ever- increasing number of claims due to water ingress and the costs of such claims are increasing. The aim of this guidance is to highlight the most common defects and to emphasise the importance of proper maintenance routines. In addition, it will discuss the safety considerations to be taken into account when working on or operating ships hatch covers. THE BASIC PROCEDURES HATCH COVER MAINTENANCE ROUTINES SHOULD BE DRAWN UP FOLLOWING THE MANUFACTURER’S RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL AS TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION CLASSIFICATION SOCIETY REQUIREMENTS AND THE SHIP’S TRADING PATTERNS. Ship staff should be familiar with these requirements and checklists should be developed to cover all the items to be checked/inspected at each stage and these records need to be maintained. Before the ship leaves port, all the weather deck hatch covers should be closed properly and all locking devices secured. Regular checks should be carried out on the security of the hatch covers whilst at sea and this is even more important when heavy weather is expected, as it may not be possible once the weather has deteriorated. Only qualified personnel should operate the hatch covers. They should be well-trained and be fully aware of the manufacturer’s procedures for the safe operation of the hatch covers that have been fitted to their particular ship. A proper risk assessment needs to be carried out and this needs to be reviewed regularly and ship staff briefed and trained as to its contents. Once opened, hatch covers should be secured properly, using the chain stoppers, chocks or other devices recommended by the manufacturers. Hatch openings should be wellilluminated and if there are guard rails and stanchions fitted, these need to be fixed into place. Special care and attention should be paid to opening and closing of the hatch covers when the ship has an excessive trim or list. This is due to the possibility of the covers “running away” when in motion. It is not recommended to open the hatch covers whilst at sea to carry out maintenance and repairs but there will be times when it is necessary. In such cases, it must be carefully considered, taking into account crew safety and the anticipated weather and sea conditions. It may be necessary to take additional measures to secure the hatch covers in the open position to prevent them moving when the ship is moving. 2 | BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION | GUIDANCE 3 | BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION | GUIDANCE GENERAL MAINTENANCE & ROUTIN