Manganese Ore Cargo Contaminated by Fuel Oil Leak During Discharge at Tianjin Port

During a voyage chartered by SOUTH 32 MARKETING PTE LTD., the M/V 'FALMOUTH BAY' was laden with 54,000 MT of Manganese ore in bulk at Groote Eylandt, Australia, destined for discharge at Tianjin, China.

On July 18, 2023, at approximately 0936hrs LT, the vessel arrived at the Tianjin anchorage and took on a pilot. By 1212hrs LT, the vessel was securely moored at berth #S5. Discharging operations commenced at 1525hrs LT.

At around 1643hrs LT, during the discharge of cargo from hold NO.5, the crane's grab struck the sloping plate of the starboard side topside tank (No. 2S fuel oil tank). This impact caused a breach in the tank, resulting in fuel oil leaking into the cargo hold and contaminating the Manganese ore.

The master of the vessel issued a Letter of Protest (LOP) and notified all relevant parties of the incident.