Cargo Damage Investigation: Brazilian Soybeans at Tianjin Port

Please note that our surveyor attended on board at approximately 1520hrs this afternoon after receiving notice of a cargo claim. Following a brief discussion with the Chief Officer, we were informed that the vessel, which was carrying 70551.095Mt of Brazilian soybeans, arrived at the discharging port of Tianjin on April 19, 2023. The vessel finally berthed alongside #G7 berth at 1600hrs on April 21, and discharging commenced at 1840hrs on the same day. The crew reported that they did not observe any abnormalities when they opened the hatch covers for discharging.

Upon boarding the vessel, we met with the receiver and an SGS surveyor who was representing the receiver for the purpose of taking cargo samples. We invited them to inspect the cargo condition, but they declined, stating that they had already inspected the cargo before our arrival. The receiver alleged that damaged cargo was found in all cargo holds, particularly in No. 4 cargo hold. We visually inspected the cargo condition from the hatch coaming and noted the following findings:

1. Discharging operations were still in progress for No. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 cargo holds, with three gangs working on the operation.
2. For No. 1, 3, 6, and 7 cargo holds, most of the top layer cargo had been discharged before our attendance. We observed poor flowability of cargo, but no obvious damage was noted by visual inspection.
3. For No. 2, 4, and 5 cargo holds, there appeared to be a layer of cargo with a thinness of approximately 0.5-2 meters under the top surface. This layer was darker than the normal cargo, and many bean pods or impurities were mixed in the cargo.
4. We entered No. 2, 4, and 5 cargo holds for a detailed inspection and temperature measurement. Due to the unloading of cargo in the center of each cargo hold, we only measured the temperature of cargo near the ladder. We noted that the temperature of cargo under the surface around one meter was in the range of 29-39.6℃.
5. In No. 4 cargo hold, we observed that the surface cargo was severely mildewed, and sweat traces were noted on the top surface of the cargo pile.

Please refer to the enclosed document photos for further details. The receiver has entrusted SGS to take samples, and two types of samples will be prepared: a composite sample of all cargoes and a sample of cargo from No. 4 cargo hold. The receiver has stated that the cargoes discharged from No. 4 cargo hold will be stored in No. 206 warehouse separately, while the other cargoes will be stored in silos and No. 203 warehouse.

To protect the shipowner's interests, we suggest that the cargo be sampled as soon as possible, as the receiver has alleged that all the cargo is in poor condition. According to the crew, during loading, they observed numerous pods or other foreign matters in dark color mixed in the cargo. The certificate of cargo quality provided by the shipper at the loading port indicated that the heat-damaged cargo was 4%, the burned cargo was 1%, and the total damage to the cargo was 30%. They opined that the cargo was of poor quality before loading. To determine the cause of the damage, we have requested a list of relevant documents from the crew, and we will conduct further analysis once we receive them.

We will keep you informed of any developments, and if you have any questions or instructions, please do not hesitate to contact us.