Cargo Loaded!

I just finished up a week of Cargo Handling and Stowage at PMI.  This class took us through all the various types of cargo ships; Container, Tanker, Bulk Carriers, Break-Bulk, Grain, Ro-Ro's (roll-on, roll-off) etc. We spent a fair amount of time learning how to calculate cargo space using various formulas and learned the nuances of loading and stowing hazardous cargoes as well as the different types of lashing systems used for each ship and/or cargo. Vehicles onboard Ro-Ro's obviously use different lashing systems than found on container ships and so on.

Loading a ship is a science and has many factors that must be taken into consideration.  Ignoring just one factor can lead to disaster.

The majority of the class was geared towards cargo ships, yet there was a fair amount of it that applied to general cargo, even if being transported via barge, which is what I deal with mostly.

Loading our barge full of frozen salmon in Dutch Harbor.

 We also had to learn about various regulations regarding hazardous materials, how they are treated, prepared for, accounted for, etc.


The week went by pretty quick, the studying and homework was pretty straight forward and the final test on Friday wasn't too bad.  Coast Guard requires a 70% to pass and most of us passed in the 80-85% range.  It was a fair amount of material to take in within the shorter timeframe (as usual), but organized well and pretty easy to swallow.  Our instructor was good and her experience sailing as an officer on Ro-Ro's provided good insight into the practical/real-world application of the material.

All in all, a good week.

Monday we start up Celestial Navigation, and it's not going to be an easy go.  I've been told that it's one of the the hardest elements that we will go through, yet I'm optimistic that it will be interesting enough to keep us all on track.  Time will tell!

Enjoying my weekend down in Portland with friends...  I will be posting more next week.