5.5 HEATED CARGO PREPARATIONS

The chief officer must be aware of the progress of the cargo heating and the fact that the heating requirements may increase as the vessel nears the discharge port. From October through May, ports north of a line connection Cape Hatteras and Ushant in the Atlantic and Kyushu, Japan and the US/Mexico border in the Pacific, are considered to be 'cold water ports'. These ports require special cargo heating attention. This is particularly true approaching US and Canadian ports, where considerable additional heating will be necessary to achieve further cargo temperature increases once the ship passes the western edge of the Gulf Stream.
Where cargo has been carried at a temperature below the recommended discharge temperature, a daily cargo temperature graph should be maintained to better determine if the desired temperature will be achieved before arrival. To achieve the desired discharge temperatures it may be necessary to:

Care must be taken not to overheat the cargo. The temperature in all tanks must be checked daily.
All components of the heating system should be checked and maintained as necessary to keep the cargo heating system in peak operating condition. All maintenance performed must be entered in the vessel's PM programme or in the appropriate maintenance log. Proper records are essential to defending against any subsequent cargo claim.
If the ship has difficulty achieving the required discharge temperature throughout the cargo, the chief officer should keep in mind that:

He should therefore ensure that if all tanks cannot be brought to discharge temperature before arrival, heating should be concentrated on the first set of tanks to be discharged.

Any port north of the line and any port in the Mediterranean Sea, is considered a cold water port from October through May, for the purposes of cargo heating instructions.