NAUTICAL INQUIRY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10281, 16 May 1919, Page 6

NAUTICAL INQUIRY

IMPORTANT JUDGEMENT

LIABILITY OF COAL CARGOES Ttt SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.

Press Association.

AUCKLAND, May 15.

Ad important, judgment by Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M., and tho assessors, Captain G. McKenzie and Professor F. i.'. Worley, who investigated the circumstances of the loss of the barque Inverness, was delivered in the Magistrate's Court to-day. The inquiry, having commenced on August tola, proceeded lor tome time ' aitenvards, and a preliminary finding was previously given exonerating uio master, Captain Hughes, commending him ior his action, and returning to him nis uortinoate. Tho final ueoision was held over to enable the scientific aspects to bo inquired into, and to enable the obtaining of information from different parts of the world. The barque Inverness leit_ Durban, South Africa, on February 25th. 1918, hound for Taltal, Chile, with a cargo of 2500 tons of coal, which became heated during the voyage, and eventually took fire on the morning of April if±th when 670 miles S.S.NN. of Kapa Island. The ship was abandoned, tnc master, officers, and crew proceeding in two ship's boats to Hapa. The judgment of the court was expressed as follows:—The loss of the ship was due to spontaneous combustion of a cargo of coal, and was not due to or contributed to by the negligence, wrongful act, or default on the part* of the owners or of tne master, otneers, or crew of the ship. The ship was well found and well manned. The master of the ship, following the instructions received from the owners, made careful inquiry to satisfy nirnneli that' the coal was safe cargo, and throughout took every precaution and exercised every care in ins power to preserve the snip. The utmost credit is due to him and to his olhcers and crew for the skiltul way in which the long voyago to ltapa island was ac complished without loss of life. In tlu> opinion of the court, the particular coal carried was not safe coal to carry in such a quantity on so long a voyage, and it has been demonstrated taat slack coal stored in depths of over thirteen or fourteen feet presents conditions favourable to spontaneous-com-bustion. In view of the evidence in this case, the court makes the following recommendations :

(1) Considering that a tendency to spontaneous combustion varies greatly with the nature of coals mined in different localities, and also with their condition, it is desirable that full information about all coals shipped from any port should" be available to the masters and owners of vessels from port authorities. (2) Since it has been fully established that the tendency to spontaneous combustion of coal increases with the size of the cargo and the length of the voyage, port authorities should superrise the loading of coal and should have power to limit the-size of the cargo according to the nature of the coal and the probable duration of the voyage.

(3) Reports of Royal Commissions and knowledge gained by the public, and also by private investigations should bo more widely distributed. (4) Fuller information should be supplied in official log books on the precautions necessary in the carriage' ot coal cargoes, and instructions siiouia be. given on the treatment of cargoes that have become spontaneously heated or inflamed. Tho court is constrained toi make these recommendations because of the fact that every ship is now, and for many years will be, a national asset, and whilst it is true that the owner may in a largo measure protect himselt by insurance against loss, the interests of the nation can be protected and conserved only by the wider dissemination of knowledge and by such official control and supervision as will overcome ignorance or caprice of those primarily concerned.