Hazards of partly opened hatch covers

摘要

I was overseeing a bulk carrier self-discharging cargo by deck cranes and grabs. It was the rainy season, so the crew had opened only the after half of the hatch covers. This is an unsafe practice, because there is an unacceptable risk of the grab hitting and damaging the exposed end of the closed hatch cover. Such damage can impair the hatch cover's weathertightness and can render the vessel unseaworthy.