{"id":774,"date":"2026-06-30T07:41:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/?p=774"},"modified":"2026-06-30T07:41:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:41:56","slug":"new-industry-advisory-warns-of-nickel-ore-liquefaction-risks-in-the-south-west-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/new-industry-advisory-warns-of-nickel-ore-liquefaction-risks-in-the-south-west-pacific\/","title":{"rendered":"New Industry Advisory Warns of Nickel Ore Liquefaction Risks in the South-West Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The safe carriage of nickel ore cargoes from the Philippines and the Solomon Islands has once again come under the spotlight following a significant rise in exports since 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The International Group of P&amp;I Clubs (IG), in collaboration with INTERCARGO and UK cargo expert Roxburgh, has issued a new industry Circular highlighting the heightened risks associated with transporting nickel ore from these regions. The advisory follows growing concerns over cargo liquefaction, one of the most serious hazards faced by bulk carriers carrying moisture-sensitive cargoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the Warning Matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nickel ore is classified as a cargo that can liquefy if its moisture content exceeds the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML). During a voyage, excess moisture may cause the cargo to lose strength and behave like a liquid, potentially leading to cargo shift, loss of stability, capsizing, and even the total loss of the vessel and crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Circular warns that nickel ore exported from the Philippines and the Solomon Islands presents a particularly high risk because the cargo often retains internal moisture despite appearing dry on the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Risks Identified<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>High Liquefaction Risk:<\/strong> Cargo may contain hidden moisture, making visual inspection alone unreliable and increasing the likelihood of liquefaction during the voyage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Questionable Cargo Certification:<\/strong> Moisture testing, sampling procedures, and the accuracy of Transportable Moisture Limit (TML) and moisture content certificates provided by shippers may not always meet the required standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Restricted Surveyor Access:<\/strong> In some cases, shippers may refuse independent surveyors appointed on behalf of shipowners or P&amp;I Members from attending cargo inspections, limiting verification of cargo condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recommended Preventive Measures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To reduce the risk of cargo instability, the Circular recommends the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carry out thorough due diligence before fixing the charterparty by requesting detailed sampling procedures, moisture control methods, and approvals issued by the competent authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Immediately suspend loading operations during rainfall and reject any barges exposed to rain until cargo safety has been confirmed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conduct regular daily cargo inspections throughout the voyage to identify early signs of instability, including cargo settlement, free surface water, or cargo movement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consider appointing an independent surveyor before loading to assist the Master in verifying cargo condition and compliance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Reminder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cargo liquefaction continues to be one of the leading causes of bulk carrier casualties. Masters, operators, charterers, and ship managers are encouraged to exercise heightened vigilance, strictly follow the IMSBC Code, and ensure all cargo documentation and loading practices are independently verified before departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With nickel ore exports from the South-West Pacific continuing to grow, robust cargo verification procedures and proactive risk management remain essential for protecting vessels, crews, and cargoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For further details, please refer to the attached document &#8211; IG Circular \u2013 Safe Carriage of Nickel Ore Cargoes in the south-western Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Safe-Carraige-of-Nickel-Ore-Cargoes-in-the-south-western-Pacific-Ocean.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Safe-Carraige-of-Nickel-Ore-Cargoes-in-the-south-western-Pacific-Ocean.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-60ebe007-f88a-49be-9619-4b00185c439c\" href=\"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Safe-Carraige-of-Nickel-Ore-Cargoes-in-the-south-western-Pacific-Ocean.pdf\">Safe-Carraige-of-Nickel-Ore-Cargoes-in-the-south-western-Pacific-Ocean<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Safe-Carraige-of-Nickel-Ore-Cargoes-in-the-south-western-Pacific-Ocean.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-60ebe007-f88a-49be-9619-4b00185c439c\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The safe carriage of nickel ore cargoes from the Philippines and the Solomon Islands has once again come under the spotlight following a significant rise in exports since 2024. The International Group of P&amp;I Clubs (IG), in collaboration with INTERCARGO and UK cargo expert Roxburgh, has issued a new industry [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,16],"tags":[455,529,839,838,258,233,223,461,837,729,245,422,272,212,224],"class_list":["post-774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marine_news_update","category-imo-solas-marpol-stcw-loadline-ism-isps-statutory","tag-bulkcarrier","tag-cargosafety","tag-intercargo","tag-liquefaction","tag-marinesafety","tag-maritime-2","tag-maritimeindustry","tag-nauticalknowledge","tag-nickelore","tag-pandi","tag-portoperations","tag-riskmanagement","tag-seafarers-2","tag-shipmanagement","tag-shipping"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/nickel-cargo-1024x1024.png","blog_images":{"medium":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/nickel-cargo-300x300.png","large":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/nickel-cargo-1024x1024.png"},"ams_acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777,"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774\/revisions\/777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marinersupdate.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}