With the extraordinarily tight market on shipping containers, there is a rapid demand in exploring container transportation by vessels not designed for container carriage, particularly by bulk carriers.

To carry container in cargo holds and/or on upper decks and hatch covers of bulk carriers, there are many challenges to be considered, planned and prepared by ship owners, managers and operators, such as strength of hull structures, ship stability, bridge visibility with containers on deck, container securing arrangements and equipment, on-board documents to be prepared, revised and approved, etc.

ClassNK now release a technical guidance as attached which summarizes the above issues, and we hope the guidance would be useful to the safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers.

For any questions about the above, please contact:

NIPPON KAIJI KYOKAI (ClassNK)
Hull Department, Administration Center Annex, Head Office
Address: 3-3 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0094, Japan
Tel.: +81-3-5226-2017
Fax: +81-3-5226-2019
E-mail: hld@classnk.or.jp