A new individual schedule for bauxite has been drafted by the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers.
Bauxite, the primary ore of aluminium, has now been labelled as a Group A cargo (liable to liquefy).
The IMO conducted an investigation into the risks of transporting bauxite due to the sinking of a bulk carrier in 2015 while it was transporting the aluminium ore.
The sub-committee concluded that the “dynamic separation of the cargo can happen due to moisture content when the cargo is shipped above its Transportable Moisture Limit (TML)”. This in turn could affect the ship’s stability, a statement by the organisation pointed out.
A draft new test procedure for determining the TML for bauxite cargoes has been concluded for incorporation in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes code.
