Maritime bulk cargo transportable moisture limit requirements for iron ore shipments

Bulk cargoes, including iron ore fines, must be shipped according to the rules agreed by the member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). One critical safety measure is the transportable moisture limit (T ML) required for Group A cargoes (cargoes that may liquefy). A number of shipping incidents involving iron ore fines from India, where liquefaction of the cargo was suspected to be the cause, have brought the issue of iron ore fines T ML into the spotlight. Extensive research has been undertaken by the major iron ore producers from Australia and Brazil to support the IMO in developing regulations for the shipment of iron ore fines. To this end, iron ore companies sponsored the AMIRA P1097 project to establish a modified T ML test approach specific to iron ore fines. The project was undertaken by TUNRA Bulk Solids, CSIRO’s Centre for Bulk Solids and Particulate Technology and the University of Auckland, with project leadership provided by Creative Process Innovation. This program of work supported test work findings from the IMO Iron Ore Technical Working Group, which reported its findings in September 2013. The purpose of this paper is to present the major research findings from the AMIRA P1097 project, which includes a review of the original T ML methods, highlights of the research that supported the new iron ore fines T ML method and an outline of current iron ore T ML requirements.