Project Cargo Shift: How to Avoid it?
When it comes to lashing and securing project cargo, such as wind turbine blades and crane parts, the end-to-end involvement of a specialised surveyor is crucial. If not properly stowed and secured, project cargo may shift, go overboard and damage other cargo as well as the vessel, even risking the crew's lives.
Cargoes can be subjected to extreme motions at sea, generating strong forces on the cargo in all directions. To illustrate what can go wrong, I would like to share a case where we attended at the discharge port following reports of lost cargo over board, cargo shift, cargo damage and damage to the vessel.
Case Study of Project Cargo Shift
In this particular case, we were appointed by the vessel's P&I Club to attend at Middlesbrough UK to investigate the cause and extent of damage to a cargo of crane parts. We were present throughout the discharge and inspected the cargo, the lashing and securing equipment and methods, and the vessel.
The vessel which had a length overall of 132 metres and a beam of 15, with a gross tonnage of 6351, experienced adverse weather during the voyage from Thailand to Middlesbrough, with winds of up to BF force 9 and a sea state of up to BF force 8. The vessel lost three items over board and multiple cargo units shifted, resulting in four cargo units being damaged. The crew worked throughout the voyage to resecure cargo, adding additional straps and chains where necessary and when safe to do so.
It's important to note that no surveyor had been present at the loading of the cargo in Thailand.
Fixing lashings to the vessel
The most common piece of equipment to fix chains, wires or straps with which cargo is secured on a vessel, is a D-ring. And the most common D-ring is an LP-11. The LP-11 has a breaking strength of 36t, and a maximum securing load of 18t. These D-rings must be positioned over the vessel's strong points, e.g. along a frame underneath the deck. The saddles of the D-rings are welded to the deck with a fillet weld.
Once sufficiently cooled, these welds can be inspected using the NDT (non-destructive testing) method. Using NDT equipment, inspectors can determine whether a weld has any obvious defects that could compromise the weld's integrity. Suffice to say that existing D-rings should also be thoroughly examined prior to use.
Once the D-rings are in position, the strap, chain or wire should be fixed to the D-rings and the lashing point on the cargo, using an approved fixation according to the manufacturer's specification and cargo requirements. The lead angle of the lashing secured to the D-ring must be greater than 45 degrees from the horizontal. This is to ensure that the forces are balanced correctly. If the angle is less than 45 degrees, the D-ring capacity is reduced.
The reality
There's a wrong way to use the right equipment. Equally true is the fact that there is no right way to use the wrong equipment.
Our inspections showed that old and heavily rusted D-rings had been used. It comes as no surprise that these D-rings failed as a result. The part of the D-ring hidden by the saddle too showed heavy rusting.
To secure the cargo, web straps had been used. And it's good to know that while they offer quick and convenient solutions and are useful when used on finished surfaces, they are generally used for securing lighter cargoes and cargoes not suited to stoppers, chain or wire. Their maximum securing rating is 5 or 10t, which is 50% of the breaking strain.
For this type of cargo, web straps were in fact the right choice, as they protected the surface of the cargo. Here, we have a typical case of using the right equipment the wrong way. Web straps, even when they are the right choice, should never be knotted. They typically come with either hooks at each end or soft eyes. As you can see in the photograph, the aim was to create a loop lashing, but they failed to use the appropriate equipment. Soft eye straps should have been used as these can be applied to the cargo and the D-ring with no risk of slipping. We also found other examples of poor application.

All cargo had been lashed in the same manner, but some pieces of cargo had been stowed athwartships and some longitudinally. Despite this, the straps had been fixed to the cargo in the same formation with no regard as to where the greatest forces would be during the voyage. This meant that some pieces were under-secured as the angle of the lashing was not leading athwartships and were only leading fore and aft. This lashing arrangement meant that only longitudinal forces were being counteracted.
The three missing pieces of cargo went over board early in the voyage. Other pieces of cargo sustained severe damage during the shifting. And several parts of the vessel were damaged, including the weather deck and a wing tank.
Avoiding the first centimetre of movement
This case study is just one of the many cases we have attended. When considering the lashing of cargo, it's the first centimetre of movement you are trying to prevent. Because once the cargo starts shifting, the momentum can accumulate with catastrophic results. To ensure this doesn't happen, we strongly advise to consult a specialised surveyor right from the start.
As heavy lift and project cargo surveyors, we have plenty of success stories to share too. We advise cargo manufacturers, cargo insurers and P&I Clubs, as well as stevedores and cargo forwarders on stuffing, lashing and securing. We create plans for positioning cargo on flat racks and plans of where to weld the D-rings. And we arrange and oversee the on board welding. In addition, we check not only that the right lashing equipment is used, but also its application, as we closely monitor the loading and lashing of project cargoes. For Vestas Wind, we act around the world as their marine warranty surveyors and even assist them with transport equipment design.
To avoid that first centimetre shift, we make sure that the right equipment is used the right way, not only by creating plans but by ensuring those plans are properly followed.