A general cargo vessel was in port and discharging rolls of paper. The rolls were chocked with polystyrene packing, and at one point during the discharge one of the rolls toppled. The Nautical Institute describes the incident in a new Mars Report.
The Nautical Institute gathers reports of maritime accidents and near-misses. It then publishes these so-called Mars (Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme) Reports (anonymously) to prevent other accidents from happening. This is one of these reports.
The roll was 1.4 metres in diameter, 2.2 metres high and weighed 2.6 tonnes. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.
It is likely that the polystyrene chocking was used to raise the height of the roll in the layer, allowing another layer of rolls to be stacked on top.
Also read: Securing heavy cargo on ships – details matter
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Polystyrene is not a suitable material to be used as weight bearing dunnage. Only robust weight bearing materials should be used for dunnage.
- Good awareness from the stevedores prevented a more serious incident. Awareness of dangers is everyone’s responsibility.
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 202549. A selection of the Mars Reports are also published in the SWZ|Maritime magazine. The Nautical Institute compiles these reports to help prevent maritime accidents. That is why they are also published (in full) on SWZ|Maritime’s website.
More reports are needed to keep the scheme interesting and informative. All reports are read only by the Mars coordinator and are treated in the strictest confidence. To submit a report, please use the Mars report form.
Also read: Near miss in open water and good visibility
