BIMCO’s Dry Bulk Cargo Network has drawn attention to three enduring safety problems in dry bulk shipping: fires linked to contaminated scrap metal cargoes, a growing shift in fumigation duties from specialist contractors to ships’ crews, and continuing fatalities in enclosed spaces. The concerns were reported on 16 October 2026 and underline growing anxiety among charterers, owners and seafarers about practical protections for crews.
Members said fire incidents involving scrap metal remain a stubborn and dangerous hazard that requires better upstream information and contractual clarity. Contamination of scrap consignments can generate heat or spontaneous combustion risks, and Network delegates argued that existing cargo declarations are often insufficient to allow safe voyage planning and stowage.
Fire risk from contaminated scrap metal
Delegates raised the need for improved data with particular emphasis on the condition of metal cargoes before loading and the responsibilities of sellers and intermediaries. The Network suggested that clearer declaration practices and stronger charter party wording could reduce uncertainty about which party must verify cargo cleanliness and mitigate fire risks during carriage.
Fumigation, charter parties and crew duties
A second theme was the transfer of fumigation tasks from specialist contractors to shipboard personnel, a change the Network described as worrying for operational safety. Members recommended that charter party terms be revisited to specify who carries the responsibility and cost for safe fumigation, and to ensure trained personnel undertake hazardous tasks rather than relying on general crew labour.
Continuing fatalities in enclosed spaces completed the trio of concerns and remain a persistent cause of fatal accidents in the dry bulk trades. The Network emphasised that these incidents often stem from insufficient information about cargo behaviour in confined spaces and from lapses in the practical steps taken to make spaces safe before entry.
Against this backdrop, Network members called for a suite of practical measures aimed at protecting crews: more reliable cargo information, contractual clauses that allocate risks and duties clearly, and operational safeguards that are realistic to implement aboard working ships. The emphasis was on interventions that can be adopted now within existing commercial frameworks rather than on distant regulatory change.
The discussion reported on 16 October 2026 makes clear that industry representatives are focusing on clarifying responsibilities and improving day-to-day practice to prevent recurrence of serious incidents. The Network’s position reinforces the view that reducing harm will depend on better information flows, firmer contractual language and attention to who undertakes hazardous tasks during a voyage.
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