module 3 – TIMBER CARGO

Learning Objective:
After reading this Module, you should be able to know:
1. What is Timber deck cargo?
2. What is Timber Load Lines
3. Securing Devices for Timber Deck Cargo
4. Strength, Pitch and Tending of Lashings
5. Timber lashing on deck
6. Weight and Height of cargo (Stress and Stability Aspects)
7. Effect of Deck cargo on Stability of the ship

3.1 - What is Timber deck cargo?

Timber deck cargo means a cargo of timber carried on an uncovered part of a freeboard
or superstructure deck. The term does not include wood pulp or similar cargo.
The provisions contained in the IMO Code are recommended for all vessels of 24
meters or more in length engaged in the carriage of timber deck cargos, a phrase
defined which means that a timber cargo carried on an uncovered part of a freeboard or
superstructure deck and includes logs and sawn timber whether loose or packaged.
Basically, the following factors need to be considered:
1. Type and compactness of timber cargo (e.g., logs, cants, ragged end packages,
square (or flush) both ends, etc.).
2. Type of vessels (timber load line or not)
3. Strength, pitch, and ending of lashings.
4. Height of cargo and stability considerations.
5. Measures to deliberately jettison cargo
6. Keeping clear all sounding and air pipes necessary for the working of the ship,
ensuring means of safe access to all parts of the ship, keeping cargo hold ventilators
clear of operation.
7. Under – deck and on-deck bills of lading.
8. Hatch covers and other opening below deck should be securely closed and battened
down.
9. Hatches and decks, and the cargo itself, should be kept free of any accumulations of
ice and snow.
10. All deck lashing, uprights etc., in position before loading commences.
11. The cargo must not interfere in any way with the navigation or necessary working of
the ship.

The IMO Timber Deck Cargo Codes does not allow the transverse stowage of packages
to the outer side of the deck stowage and packages stowed athwartships must be within
a perimeter of square ended packages stowed fore and aft). Logs may come in a variety
of lengths and be of widely varying diameter. It is essential that upright are used
correctly, supported by transverse hog wires, all in addition to wiggle wires, and
securing wires or chains pitched at the correct distance apart. Cants are defined as log
which are slab cut, that are ripped lengthways so that the resulting thick pieces have
two opposing parallel flat sides and, in some cases, a third side which is sawn flat.
Cants cargoes require similar arrangements to those for logs. Any omission from the
lashing arrangements recommended in the IMO Code could lead to loss of cargo.

3.2 - Timber Load Lines

Many vessels are marked with special timber load lines in addition to the normal load
lines. The timber load lines are calculated on the premise that a full timber deck cargo
will be carried, and an entirely separate set of cross-curves of stability is produced for
the full timber deck cargo condition. The timber load lines allow the vessel to load to a
deeper draught (and hence, a larger displacement) than would otherwise be the case.
The following guidelines should be applied:

Figure 2.1 – Timber load lines

When ship is assigned a timber load line, in order to load to those mark the vessel must
be loaded with timber deck cargo which is correctly stowed in accordance with the deck.
cargo regulations and the IMO Code of Safe Practice for Ships Carrying Timber Deck
Cargoes, 1991. of the forecastle head.
• These regulations require that the timber be stowed as solidly as possible to at least
the standard height of the superstructures. For instance, in ships of 125 M or more in
length, this equates to a uniform height of not less than 2.3 M. In ships under 125 M in
length, the stow should reach a uniform height of not less than the height of the break
• If timber is stowed to a lesser height than indicated above or is not correctly stowed in
any other way (i.e. not the full length of the well or not from side to side). Then the ship
is not permitted to load to the timber line.
• When timber is correctly stowed on decks referred to above, the ship may load to the
timber load line irrespective of the quantity or type of cargo stowed below decks. The
reduction in freeboard enjoyed by a ship, which is assigned timber load lines, is
permitted because of the buoyancy contribution of the timber deck cargo to ship’s
stability characteristics.
• When full timber cargo is carried on deck and the ship is loaded to the timber load line,
the statically stability curve may be derived from the cross- curve s of stability which
have been computed taking into account the timber deck cargo. When the timber deck
cargo is not correctly stowed, due to deficient height or other reason, the statically
stability curve must be derived from the cross curves computed for the ship without
timber deck cargo.

3.3 - Securing Devices for Timber Deck Cargo

1. The basic securing devices for timber deck cargo lashing are to be:
lashings, stanchions, shackles, deck sockets and deck lashing points, tensioning
devices, etc.
2. Each securing device for timber deck cargo lashing is to be tested and
marked so as to identify it against the relevant documents issued either by the
manufacturer or by PRS.
3. Each securing device for timber deck cargo lashing is to:
• .1 have breaking strength not less than 133 kN,
• .2 show the elongation not more than 5% after pretension with the load up
to 80% of its breaking load,
• .3 not show plastic strain after the test load not less than 40% of its
breaking load.
4. Each lashing is to be equipped with a tensioning device or a system of
tensioning devices situated so as to operate them safely. The tension caused by
such a device or system is to be not less than:
• .1 27 kN in its horizontal part,
• .2 16 kN in its vertical part.
5. The devices for quick release of the cargo are to be designed to exclude
an unintentional release of the tension in the lashing.
6. Stanchions for securing timber deck cargo are to be made from steel and
to be strong enough taking into account the size of the timber deck cargo.
3.4 -Strength, Pitch and Tending of Lashings
It is important to realize that regulation 44 of the International Convention of Load Lines
1966, still applies to the 1991 IMO Timber Deck cargo Code, but the spacing of the
transverse lashing within the code, although still determined by height, does not permit
an interpolation between cargo height of 4 meters and 6 meters. The straightforward
interpretation of such spacing applies to a compact stow of square ended bundles (flush
at both ends) or near square-ended bundles in the following manner:
1. Each package (along the sides, which is) shall secured by at least two transverse
lashing spaced 3 meters apart for height not exceeding 4 meters above the weather
deck at sides.
2. For height above 4 meters the spacing shall be 1.5 meters above the weather-deck at
sides.
3. When timber in the outboard stow is in length less than 3.6 meters the spacing of the
lashing shall be reduced as necessary (to comply with the requirements for each
package to be secured by at least two transverse lashing).
4. The stowage of timber deck cargo should be tight and compact. Where packages are
involved, they should be square- ended (flush) at both ends so far as this is possible.
Broken stowage and unused spaces should be avoided. There is no absolute
requirements for upright to be used for packaged timber cargo although some national
administration may insist on their use
5. when lashing arrangement are not otherwise satisfactory, Bundles of regular form
when stowed in ‘stepped-in’ truncated pyramid fashion will not benefit from upright even
if they are fitted. The IMO Code does not allow upright to be used instead of lashings.
Where uprights are used. They are, in addition to the full number of lashings, properly
pitched ad of full strength.
6. The use of uprights when carrying logs on deck is a necessary requirement, and it is
most important always to rig and attached hog wires between such upright. The upright
strength relies upon the weight of logs above the hog wires. This rule applies whenever
hog wires are rigged (even with packaged timber). Never use uprights without rigging
hog wires.

3.5 - Timber lashing on deck

• Always rig hog wires when using the deck side upright for logs, package and loose
timber.
• The correct use of wiggle-wire through snatch blocks (used to bind and consolidate the
log stow) independent of the number and pitch of cross-lashing required. Figure 5.3
shows chain cross-lashing pitched 3 meters apart for stow not exceeding 4 meters in
height above the weather-deck at ship’s side.
• Wires or chain used for lashing should have a break load of not less than 13.6 tons
force (133 KN). With wire and grips the IMO Code of Safe Practice for Ships Carrying
Timber Deck cargoes recommends that four grips per eye are used, and if that
recommendation is followed ( with the eye made up around a thimble), the holding
power of the eye will not be less than 90% NBL, so as 6 x 24 galvanized wire rope of
19-mm diameter will fully comply with the Code’s strength requirements.
• Where thimbles are not used, the slip-load of an eye properly made will be out 70% of
the wire’s nominal strain. More complex additional securing arrangements are required
for cants and reference should be made to
• cargo settles. Where intermediate port of discharge are involved, great care must be
taken to ensure that the remaining deck cargo is leveled out and re-secured in
accordance with the code.
3.6 – WEIGHT AND HEIGHT OF CARGO (STRESS AND STABILITY ASPECTS)
The weight of the deck cargo should not exceed the maximum the drawings and
illustrations given in Annex D of the IMO Code.
At sea, all lashing and securing arrangements should be tended daily. Adjusted as
necessary to take up any slack which may occur as the permissible loading of weather
deck and hatch covers. Everyone involved with the loading and safe carriage of timber
deck cargoes should fully conversant with the stability requirements as set out in the
IMO Code of Safe Practice for Ship’s Carrying Timber Deck Cargoes and the ship’s
Standard Conditions Stability Book.
following additional comments may be of assistance:
• It is important that the correct weight of the cargo is known and allowed in the stability
calculations. Instances have occurred where, because of Standard Stability Booklet has
indicated a given height of cargo as representing a given weight, the master and
charterers have assumed that any cargo of the same height will have the same weight.
This assumption has proved to be wrongly based and has serious consequences.
• The calculation of the metacentric height (GM) of a ship provides some measure of
transverse stability, but additional calculations need to be made produce the curve of
statically stability (the GZ graph). The ship’s dynamical stability characteristics can then
be established for various angles of heel, and can be compared with the minimum
characteristics required by load line Rule and the vessel’s stability Booklet.
Height Factors
If the timber deck cargo is to be carried through tropical or summer zones, the following
points should be observed:
• The height of the cargo does not restrict or impair visibility from the bridge.
• For any given height of cargo, its weight shall not exceed the designed maximum
permissible loading on weather deck and hatch covers.
• Any forward- facing profile of the timber deck stowage does not present overhanging
shoulder to a head sea.
• If a timber deck cargo is to be carried through a winter zone, or a seasonal winter zone
during winter, the height of cargo above the weather-deck should not exceed one third
of extreme breadth of the ship. For instance, if the extreme breadth of the vessel is 15
meters, the height of the timber deck cargo should not exceed 5meters. Similarly, a
vessel of extreme breadth 21 meter could stow the cargo to 7 meters above the
weather-deck, provided this did not contravene any of the other requirements of the
Code.
• It is important to appreciate that the ‘weather-deck’ means the level of the main deck
measured at its junction with the sheer strake. It is not permitted to commence the
vertical measurement at hatch cover level.
3.7 - Effect of Deck cargo on Stability of the ship
When carrying a cargo of timber, including logs, pulpwood and containers, part of this
cargo is frequently carried on deck. The Hazard posed by these cargoes are loss of
stability and shifting of cargo. The first is caused by putting much cargo on deck, which
is made possible by the high stowage factors of the cargo and aggravated by the deck
cargo increasing in weight by absorbing water or collecting ice and snow on deck and to
variations in consumables. The stability range decreases with the metacentric height
decrease. Shifting of the cargo is caused by a loose stowage, improper securing and
small GM due to high stowage on deck cargo. The dangers posed by deck cargoes of
timber have led to adoption internationally of the Code of Safe Practice of ships
Carrying timber Deck Cargoes. The Code and its Appendices C and D are of particular
relevance to cargo stowage and securing.
When loading timber, the height of the deck cargo above the weather-deck should not
exceed one third of the extreme breadth of the ship, on a ship within a seasonal winter
zone during winter. The height of deck cargo should be controlled that its weight does
not exceed the designed maximum permissible load on weather decks and hatches.