By Hari Menon
Trading centres of the world are separated by vast distances, but globalization has brought them closer. Communication is almost instantaneous such as by phones, emails, and video calls. While this may be the case, goods still have to travel the distance between the seller and buyer.
Modern transport equipped with the latest technologies is a far cry from the horse-drawn carts, steam locomotives, and steamships of the past. Transport, as well as the equipment used in the handling of cargo, are bigger, much faster, and more efficient these days.
Modern intermodal containers have revolutionized the goods transport scene. The largest container carrier HMM Algeciras can take more than 24,000 TEU!
Even as you read this, more carriers with increased container-carrying capacities are getting readied in the world’s largest ship-building yards.
But can businesses across the world rely only on intermodal containers to transport their goods?
Grains, minerals, oil, etc. that need to be transported in large quantities are examples of goods that are often transported otherwise. They are stored as smaller units in the holds of a ship or on the storage areas on the deck. Such a consignment is called break bulk cargo.
A bill of lading of a break bulk consignment would normally show the commodity and its total volume or weight. The smaller units in which they are packed might be as bags, crates, barrels, pallets, etc.
Break bulk cargo is packed in smaller units for the ease of loading and unloading using cranes, conveyors, forklifts, or even by hand.
Cargo that is transported as break bulk is moved from land to a ship or vice versa by the above means, unlike a container that is pre-packed, sealed, and lifted from the quay onto the ship (or ship to the quay). Containers are loaded by gantry cranes that can lift such heavy loads.
Minerals, ores, oils, and gases are also transported loose. In such cases, they may be stored in large silos, containers, or special holds built on large ships.
Read ALso: Bill Of Lading And Liability Of The Carrier
Loading of Break Bulk Cargo
Break bulk cargo is usually delivered to the quay by trucks or cargo trains and loaded directly onto a ship. In some cases, it is brought and stored in the port warehouse before a ship’s ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival).
When the ship arrives and it is ready for loading, these goods are moved to the ship. This is usually done when there is a large number of goods for loading and it has to be brought in several batches. Port warehouse storage is opted by shippers when goods have to be brought in from different locations.
The ship’s holds or the storage areas have to be washed, cleaned, and dried before receiving a break bulk load.
Unloading of Break Bulk Cargo
When a ship arrives at the port with its load of break bulk cargo, it is offloaded directly onto trucks or train wagons and taken to its destination. In certain cases, it may be offloaded and stored at the port warehouse from where it is taken by the consignee at a later point in time. This is often done when the consignee does not have a warehouse to store the goods.
Besides, port warehouse storage charges are usually lower than those of private warehouses outside the port area. Once unloading is complete, a ship’s stowage area is cleaned of all traces of the cargo that it had carried, washed, and dried before it is ready to receive the next load.
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