The classification society DNV has declared that an incident last year involving the very large ore carrier (VLOC) ‘Vale Beijing’ was not caused by any global strength issue. ‘Vale Beijing’ developed a fault when loading ore at Ponta da Madeira Port, Brazil, in December. The 361-metre ship developed a leak in a ballast tank and ruptured its hull. Cracks appeared in the ship prompting fears that it was in danger of sinking but stated that it was unlikely to sink. The ship has been safely moved to an anchorage in the area.

DNV does not believe that single pass loading (covered by the class notation EL-2) contributed to the damage. According to its calculations, the incident was not caused by any global strength issue or by the effect of single pass loading and associated loading rates. Hence, the features covered by the class notation EL-2 did not contribute to the problem. The society added that the ‘Vale Beijing’ incident was not related to a general structural problem for VLOCs.

DNV’s calculations show that the cause of the damage was presumably related to the local buckling strength in some areas of the web frames in the aft ballast tanks. An action plan for repairs is being carried out under the supervision of the owner, shipyard and two relevant class societies. ‘Vale Beijing’ can leave for its designated destination once the necessary safety precautions have been taken. As a safeguarding measure, DNV has also reviewed other VLOCs that it has classed, including ships under construction. The review did not reveal any structural deficiencies in these designs.