Loss Prevention Advice
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Fuel consumed on board a ship requires heating to pump it from its storage to its settling or service tanks. However, some cargoes are extremely heat sensitive and therefore heating of tanks adjacent to cargo holds should be done with caution.
The International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC) identifies the following as heated ship structures: steam pipes, heating coils, top or side walls of heated fuel and cargo tanks, and bulkheads of machinery spaces. A heated ship structure is where the surface temperature is liable to exceed 55°C.
That said, certain types of agricultural cargo suffer heat damage even at lower temperatures of around 40°C to 55°C. When steam is supplied to fuel oil tanks, the temperature within the tank rises and heat is either transferred by a conduction process or radiated from the tank to the adjacent cargo holds.
A significant number of claims have been linked to heat-sensitive agriculture products such as soya bean, wheat, maize, corn, barley, sunflower pellets, canola, bananas, flower bulbs, soybean meal and fish meal. Processed cargoes have an even higher moisture and oil content, making them more susceptible to microbiological activity and self-heating, which can lead to severe heat damage with the feed cargoes.
The extent of cargo damage may differ due to the extent of the exposure period, properties and/or inherent temperature of the cargoes within the hold. Heat transfer mostly accelerates the self-healing process which often leads to cargo deterioration and can result in heavy economic losses to the carriers and shippers. Soya bean, as a high-value cargo, has amounted to more than half of those claims in recent years.
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The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime Administrator has issued an investigation report into an incident where a Chief Officer collapsed and died inside a cargo tank after entering an inadequately gas-freed space.
The incident
On the morning of 25 August 2025, the C/O on board a Republic of the Marshall Islands-registered oil/chemical tanker was entering Nos. 1–3 P/S CTs to inspect them after they had been washed and gas freed following the carriage of benzene as cargo.
Deck ratings then entered the cargo tanks to rinse them with de-ionized water after they had been inspected by the C/O. The C/O had reportedly tested the atmosphere inside these cargo tanks earlier that morning and had determined they were safe for entry. Neither the C/O nor the other crewmembers were wearing a personal gas detector while entering the cargo tanks.
Approximately five minutes after the C/O entered the ship’s No. 3 P CT, crewmembers who were on deck heard a noise and, after looking through the tank dome, saw the C/O lying on the tank top inside of the cargo tank.
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Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group attacked a vessel in the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia’s port city of Yanbu, the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a televised speech on 24 August.
Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company Bahri confirmed that one of its vessels, the Amzan, had been involved in a maritime incident in the Red Sea earlier in the day. The company said all crew members were safe and that no injuries had been reported.
Bahri said it remained in contact with the vessel and was coordinating closely with the relevant authorities.
To remind, on 24 August, a tanker had been struck by an unknown projectile about 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu. It said all crew members were safe and accounted for and that there had been no reported environmental impact.
Yanbu is Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea oil export port and a key outlet for the kingdom’s crude shipments. Its strategic importance has grown as the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked by Iran, forcing Saudi oil exports to rely more heavily on routes through the Red Sea.
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Iran has blacklisted 45 tankers accused of violating its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz and warned that vessels conducting ship-to-ship transfers with them could also face penalties.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a newly established Iranian body overseeing the waterway, said the listed vessels could be fined, detained and have their cargoes confiscated. The blacklist includes very large crude carriers, LNG and LPG tankers and clean-product vessels.
Iran did not specify which rules had been breached, but has previously said shipowners must obtain clearance to transit the strait and pay for security and other services.
The warning comes amid escalating tensions with the United States, which has threatened tougher sanctions against Iran and imposed a naval blockade on Iran-related shipping. Iran said any response to further U.S. threats would be “devastating.”
The authority said vessels seeking removal from the blacklist must submit requests and explanations to Iranian maritime authorities.