Shipping Corporation of India being premier shipping line operates around one-third of the Indian tonnage. It has evolved to be the largest Indian Shipping company since its establishment in October 1961.
Shipping Corporation of India delivers a wide range of services to the domestic as well as international trade.
Let’s try to understand the Lighterage operations by SCI:
What is Lighterage?
Lighterage is also termed as lightering is an operation primarily dealing with the transfer of wet and dry cargoes between ships of varying sizes. It is considered to be the cargo transfer operation on the coastal areas of the sea between the mother and the daughter vessel. The process is carried out within the port facility reducing the draught of vessels for entering the inland waterways.
Here are some lighterage procedures we need to focus on:
1. Cargo Transfer Equipment:
Understanding the type of cargo transfer from one vessel to the other, compatible cargo equipment is kept ready for the operation. With the maximum loads tested and certified, cranes and derricks are placed in the working order. Wet cargo transfer pipes of the relevant size are used with the corresponding connector couplings of the appropriate length. The connector couplings are tested for the maximum liquid pressure limits.
The team involved in the operation must be aware of risks in transferring hazardous cargoes. These hazardous cargoes should be handled with the help of special equipment and protective gear.
2. Mooring / Unmooring:
The STS experts support the shipmasters to supervise the mooring operation since mooring the vessels requires a certain level of competence. It requires an expert team to safely manage the berthing / unberthing process. Appropriately sized tyre fenders are deployed on the mother vessel or the lighter vessel. This will avoid structural damages involved in ship to ship contact. During the STS transfer process, the rubberized tyre fenders prevent the accumulation of static between the vessels. In addition, fenders ensure a safe distance between the two vessels once they are tied up.
Mooring lines should have better construction, material, and be strong enough to captivate the forces generated during operation enabling a safe cargo transfer operation.
3. Weather:
Decent weather conditions play a vital role for the successful accomplishment of all critical marine operations including lighterage service. Most of the times the cargo transfer operations are aborted indefinitely due to unsuitable weather conditions resulting in loss of time and money. The teams involved keep a constant check on the weather forecast and all the communication is recorded appropriately.
4. Person In Charge:
Generally, the operation expert or STS Superintendent or sometimes the ship captain carries the lighterage operation. The process aims to appoint the person in charge for calculating the risks involved and safely accomplishing the cargo transfer operations. The STS expert is usually an ex-mariner coordinating for supervision, co-ordination, and authorization of events involved during the operations.
5. Operational Checklists:
To successfully complete the critical operations the expert team follows all the guidelines and relevant operational checklists which are incorporated in the port management system. During the lighterage operation, it is vital to consider both the vessels have different operating procedures and should have a varied set of people handling the operation. Thus, all the personnel involved in the cargo transfer operations should be alert and unsatisfied to the common safety procedures on board.
6. Communication:
Efficient cargo operations demand good and clear communication between the vessels. It is crucial to agree on the common mode of communication like via working marine VHF/ UHF frequencies, etc. Ensure the communication is clear, brief, concise, and well demonstrated for operations.
Essentials of Communications:
Wrap Up:
Shipping Corporation of India delivers a wide range of services to the domestic as well as international trade. Lighterage is an operation primarily dealing with the transfer of wet and dry cargoes between ships of varying sizes. The above-mentioned procedures will help to safely carry the lighterage operations.
Shipping Corporation of India — the Indian government-owned public sector organization serves the national and international trade by operating and managing vessels. Established in October 1961, SCI started as a marginal liner company with just 19 vessels. SCI has established itself to be the lifeline of the nation delivering an uninterrupted supply of crude oil. The presence of a modern, young, and diversified fleet with trained and experienced manpower has enhanced the growth of SCI.
SCI delivers the exuberant dry docking services to the ships that need to be repaired. SCI being India’s premier shipping line drives the economy operating around one-third of the Indian tonnage.
Dry Docking Services:
During the dry-docking process, initially, the crew monitors the most important part of the ship to check the visible or internal damage. Repairing minor and major defects in the ship takes a long time to enhance its productivity.
Here are the procedures to be carried out post the ship dry docked:
1. Thickness Gauging:
The structure of the vessel hull should be cautiously scrutinized for defects since it is constantly in contact with the seawater. Though the hull doesn’t seem to be damaged, its thickness needs to be tested to avoid any mishaps. An ultrasonic gauge is used to monitor the thickness of the hull by measuring the time interval between the consecutive echo signals reflecting from the hull surface. Since the paint applied on the surface of the hull doesn’t interrupt the calculations, it has turned out to be the most efficient way of testing the thickness of a ship’s hull.
2. Destructive & Non-Destructive Testing:
Breaking down or damaging certain parts of the ship to test the strength is destructive testing. It consists of reconstructing the same part of the ship to endure more damage. This process evaluates materials and parts of the ships ensuring no other feature of the ship is damaged. Ultrasonic testing, visual inspection, and liquid penetration technique are a few non-destructive testing methods.
3. Underwater Repair and Diving:
Underwater repair comprises of inspection and repair of defected parts of a ship while it is in the sea. The companies offering these services are expertise in examining the surface of the ship for flaws that are visible underwater. Advanced machinery like underwater welding is used to repair damaged propellers while the ship is in the sea.
4. High-Pressure Washing:
The method cleans the ship’s hull of the dirt collected on the hull over a period of time. The presence of a bio foul on the hull leads to corrosion of the surface. Cleaning the surface of the hull is crucial and high-pressure washing is an efficient way to do it. It removes the dirt using the manual gun systems and high-pressure water jets. Rotating nozzles are used to clean large areas of the hull.
5. Robotic Scanning:
Manually inspecting a ship is a tedious task. With the technological innovations, currently, robots are ensuring automated inspection of the entire ship. Robots scan the ships for inaccuracies and other faults. It is an instant detection technique that reduces the need to repair huge damages.
The efficiency of the ship depends on how well the operating parts of the ship are maintained. Robotic scanning ensures accurate scanning of the defected parts of the ship.
6. Anchor & Chain Servicing:
The chains and anchor stabilize the ship while there is rough weather. With time, the anchor and chain in the ship which is constructed from iron start to erode or rust. Thus it is crucial to replace and regularly maintain the anchor and chain of the ship.
Wrap Up:
Dry Docking services involve monitoring the defected portions of the ship every 12 months. SCI delivers exuberant dry docking services repairing minor and major defects enhancing the productivity.
Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) started as a marginal liner company evolving to be India’s largest shipping company. SCI has turned out to be the lifeline of the nation with its uninterrupted supply of crude oil driving the economy of India. Diversifying its services across a wide range of areas, SCI manages a large number of vessels on behalf of various government departments and organizations.
SCI — the only Indian shipping company offering overseas Liner Break-Bulk services to the Indian trade owns and operates around one-third of the Indian tonnage.
What are Break-Bulk Services?
Break Bulk refers to cargo or goods which are huge in size to be occupied within a container. The term relates to trades carrying cargoes in utilized form like bagged, strapped, palletized, bundled, drummed, and crated. Break Bulk is the initial method of shipping. Initially, the goods transported across the globe through cargo ships were loaded and offloaded one at a time. Before the rise of large container ships, break-bulk transportation was the most common method of ocean freight transportation.
Break Bulk transportation consists of carrying large cargo in small units like pallets, barrels, drums, boxes, or bags.
Let’s have a look at the difference between Bulk and Break-Bulk Services:
Bulk Services-
⦁ Dry cargoes like grain, iron ore, alumina, phosphate, and coal are carried in loose form.
⦁ The ships carrying these cargoes are termed as Bulk Carriers, Ore Carriers, or Bulkers.
⦁ The vessels are classified based on dead-weight i.e. weight that a ship can carry safely.
⦁ Freight rates charged on Metric Ton based on quantity and cargo loaded.
Break-Bulk Services-
⦁ Cargoes are transported in unitized form like bagged, bundled, palletized, strapped, drummed, and created.
⦁ The ships are known as Break Bulk, Multi-Purpose, or General Cargo vessels.
⦁ The vessels are classified into a variety of types based on sizes like Single Decker, Tween Decker, Box Holds.
⦁ Freight rates charged on the volume (CBM) or weight (MT) of the cargo whichever is higher.
Features of Break Bulk Services:
1. Oversized, Heavy Lift, and Out-of-Gauge Cargo:
Break Bulk Cargoes can transport oversized and overweight items that cannot be occupied in a container or a cargo. Break Bulk shipping is used to serve the oversized goods that are tedious to break down. Rather than breaking the item to fit it into the cargo, the method involves transporting it as a single piece. The break-bulk ship is equipped with a huge capacity of deck cranes and additional equipment crucial to load and unload these heavy goods. These high capacity decks facilitate loading the cargo by rolling on and off the vessel.
2. Separated Containers:
The break-bulk shipping ensures goods are not combined in a single container and items are shipped separately. Break Bulk eliminates the need to load the goods in separate containers. It loads heavy items with special equipment like cranes simplifying transporting the bulky items.
3. Minimized Deconsolidation and Reconsolidation:
Break-bulk shipping ensures there is no need to separate or deconstruct the cargo on the ship into pieces. Thus, there is a possibility that shippers might find it more affordable with oversized cargo leading to enhanced delivery time.
4. Affordable:
Breaking bulks into containers is expensive than transporting containerized goods as a whole. Cargo transported to and from ports by land is an efficient option for shippers that require inland services.
Wrap Up
Break-bulk transportation carries large cargoes into small units like barrels, drums, boxes pallets. Shipping Corporation of India delivers exuberant break-bulk services to national and international trade.
