UK Club has been informed by way of correspondents in Iraq that their biggest problems at present are torn bags and shortage claims. The two problems are usually interrelated.
Bagged cargo is discharged directly onto trucks, and typically one might expect around 5,000 torn bags during the discharge of 15,000 mt of bagged cargo. The main cause is careless discharge, with stevedores dragging bags in the hold and brutally landing them on trucks. Shortage has been as much as 2,000 bags and sometimes more from shipments over 10,000 mt. Torn bags are not tallied directly and they are shifted to an area in the warehouse for re-bagging. Stevedore labour can be hard to control.
The crew can often assist to minimise problems, in particular by:
Correspondents advise that in cases of serious problems of torn bags and spillage, extra labour for re-stitching on board can be supplied.