With the construction of offshore wind power in full swing, the number of large cargo transport ships is increasing, leading to higher requirements for ships, crew, and marine lashing.
Marine Lashing: Requirements for Ships
During offshore navigation, wind pressure, wave impact, and the weight of the cargo itself greatly affect the safety of both cargo and ships. Different types of cargo have different requirements for ships. Therefore, after securing the cargo, it is necessary to equip the ship appropriately based on the characteristics of the cargo.
Choosing a ship usually involves considering several aspects: whether the effective deck cargo area, overall longitudinal strength and local strength, and the ship's ballast system can meet the requirements. Additionally, factors such as the ship's structure, whether loading cargo on the deck creates navigation blind spots, and whether it affects passage through canals and under bridges, should also be considered.
Marine Lashing: Requirements for Crew
The loading and transportation of large cargo demand high standards for stowage and marine lashing, so it is essential to have qualified crew for the task. When stowing large cargo, the crew must fully consider the stability and strength of the ship, design loading and unloading plans in advance, and reasonably arrange the loading and unloading sequence. Attention should also be paid to the impact of increased radar scanning blind spots on navigation safety, designing a more reasonable course, route, and speed to ensure the safety of the ship, and avoiding large-angle turns during navigation.
The maritime situation can change rapidly, and crew members should inspect all lashing components daily. Before severe sea conditions arrive, steel wires or chains should be re-secured, and any cracks in welded areas or other conditions affecting the welding quality should be immediately reinforced.
Requirements for Marine Lashing
Marine lashing is a critical component in ensuring the safe transportation of large cargo. By using steel wires or chains to secure the cargo or through welding and other techniques, the effects of wind pressure, wave impact, and the weight of the cargo can be countered, ensuring the cargo is firmly secured in the appropriate position on the ship.
Design of Marine Lashing Plan
Before loading, a lashing plan should be designed, and the required lashing materials should be quantified.
Calculation of Marine Lashing
Study and use the ship's lashing manual carefully, and arrange the lashing work according to calculation results, avoiding reliance on experience and intuition for lashing.
Preparation of Materials
According to the marine lashing plan, sufficient lashing materials should be prepared, and all materials should have certificates and quality marks.
In addition, when preparing lashing materials, the following points should be considered:
Steel wires or chains should be regularly inspected; it is best not to use all new chains at once because newly boarded chains have not been practically tested on the ship. Due to the quality of steel, steel materials from the same batch number may have issues if there are defects in the process, which would be very passive on the ship. Additionally, 5-10% more lashing materials than planned should be kept as spare parts for maritime emergencies.
Selection of Marine Lashing Teams
It is essential to hire qualified, reputable, and experienced marine lashing teams.
On-site Supervision
The current situation with large lashing is that many on-site personnel have not undergone training, lack initiative, and try to cut corners where possible, including doing less welding. Moreover, the quality of welding cannot be guaranteed. This requires the crew on-site to strengthen supervision, ensuring that construction personnel strictly follow the lashing plan for marine lashing, rather than perceiving it as merely the lashing team's responsibility, unrelated to themselves.
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