3.27 FINISHING THE LOADING

The completion of loading requires close attention at a time when the chief officer and many of his crew are likely to be fatigued. The stress of the loading operation, bad weather, mechanical problems, shore terminal delays, taking on and stowing stores, assisting surveyors and inspectors and the social diversions of the port may leave the deck watch less than fully alert.
To avoid errors due to fatigue, cargo officers should take advantage of any opportunities to rest while off watch, particularly if they are scheduled to be on watch to complete loading.
The master should be aware of the hours his chief officer and watch officers have worked. Watch officers who have put in long and hard hours of cargo operations just before undocking, should not be permitted to stand a navigation watch immediately after departure.

3.27.1 Giving shore notice
As the end of the loading operation approaches, the cargo watch officer should re-check the loading plan and chief officer's night orders to verify when the chief officer wishes to be called, the advance notice required by the shore and the ship stop gauge required for any line displacement. A final check of the loading temperature should be made to ensure that the indicated temperature is being maintained. If the temperature is lower then promised, the final tank ullage(s) may need to be increased to allow for more cargo expansion en route. The shore notice required is the minimum notice. If possible more notice should be given. The notice to standby should be given in a clear form; simply saying 'standby' is not sufficient. Notice should be given in full detail, such as:
'Neverspill cargo control to berth 3; standby to stop loading fuel oil in twenty minutes.'
The terminal operator must acknowledge the call. If no acknowledgement is received in thirty seconds, repeat the call. If no acknowledgement is received to the second call, try the alternate means of communication, meanwhile directing the deck watch to stand by the emergency shore stop button (if provided).
It is desirable to provide a ten-minute reminder to the terminal operator and another reminder five minutes before finish loading.
Final shore stop is given one or two centimetres before reaching the desired ullage in the final trim tank.

3.27.2 Shore line displacements
If the loading plan includes a shore final line displacement onto the ship, the manifold valve and all tank valves should be left open after stopping cargo. The terminal operator will advise the ship when the displacement has been started. Nevertheless the cargo watch officer should keep a close watch on the ullage in the final trim tank in case the shore displacement is started without notice.
The shore should be closely advised of the volume remaining to load as the displacement nears completion and the ship should advise when the displacement has been completed according to ship gauges. If the final tank is slack, it is of little concern if the shore exceeds the planned displacement quantity by some small amount. This may be desirable to ensure that the shore line is properly cleared. But if the ship's final tank is to be full at the end of the displacement, then the cargo watch officer must call a loading stop when the desired ullage is reached.
If the ship is inadvertently overloaded by a small amount due to a slow shore shutdown, then the chief engineer can be asked to discharge some fresh water before departing.

3.27.3 Blowing down/draining loading lines
After the flow of cargo has stopped and the shore valve is closed, the hoses or arms must be cleared of cargo before disconnecting them. It is still the practice in some terminals to clear the loading hoses with compressed air. The process is made more effective if the ship's manifold valve is closed while air pressure is built up on the shore end, then the manifold valve is opened and the rush of compressed air clears the hose into the ship's tank through the ship's lines and tank suction valve. If compressed air is forced as far as the tank, it rises through the cargo as an expanding gas bubble, displacing cargo until it reaches the surface. If there is insufficient spare ullage at the top of the tank, oil may be forced out of the vents, causing a spill. To prevent this from happening the hose should be cleared into a tank with adequate ullage space and the tank valve should be closed 2/3 to reduce the rate of flow into the tank.
If loading arms were used, the shore personnel will operate the top vent on the arm, permitting the arm to drain into the ship's tanks and back to the shore containment. It will then be free of liquid and properly balanced for disconnecting.
After hoses/arms are drained, the ship's manifold valve can be closed.

3.27.4 Draining deck lines
After the manifold valve is closed, the ship's deck lines should be drained into the final cargo tanks loaded. Open the vent line at the manifold, (if there is no vent line, a sample line inboard of the manifold valve will suffice) and observe that air is being drawn into the vent. Leave the vent open until draining is complete but do not forget to close it! If deck lines are not drained, the cargo may expand when heated by the sun, damaging the cargo lines or valves. If lines are closed off containing heated cargo, it may contract in the lines, creating a vacuum which will damage the dresser coupling seals.
In non-inerted ships, when deck lines have been drained, the P/V valve to the last tank may be closed. Verify that all other P/V valves have also been returned to the automatic position.

3.27.5 Closing valves and clearing pumproom lines
When the deck lines have been drained, all cargo valves should be closed. This includes all block valves on deck and in the pumproom. If high pour oil has been loaded through the pumproom, the pumproom risers must be either displaced to the cargo tank with lighter product, or pumped down immediately after loading, transfering the contents to a suitable cargo tank or to the slop tank. Failure to strip all high-pour oil from the pumproom lines may result in blocked lines at the discharge port.