Loading bulk cargo at sea

Good day,


I am trying to find some information regarding limitations, precautions or any limiting criteria for bulk/ ore carriers when loaded at sea - irregular waves conditions.

Are there any special procedures for ships loaded at sea ?

 

Not sure where you are going to get "generic" rule of thumb information like that. The particulars are going to vary vessel by vessel and set by the shipbuilder and operator.

 

I assume you are speaking of loading cargo from one vessel into another in the open ocean - while the two vessels are moored side-by-side together ?

If so, then there is some relevant information available from the work done to permit side-by-side berthing in the open ocean of oil tankers, LPG ships and LNG ships. These operations are limited by safe weather for the berthing manoeuvre (depends on tug assist for the operation), as well as the behaviour when moored. Once moored, the weather in which they can stay connected are determined by the mooring fenders (how much force does it take to compress them so that the steel-steel contact of the ships becomes possible) and the tension in the mooring lines.

Typically significant wave height of about 2.5m and wind speeds of about 10 m/s are limiting. But this limit depends on the heading of the vessels into the wind/sea/current.

Short answer - there is no "code" or "rule" or "rule of thumb". Every case must be designed and calculated individually.

The conferences such as ISOPE, OTC and OMAE contain many technical papers on these oil & gas offshore berthing operations, model tests, numerical simulations etc.

If you are talking about the limit to which a ship can be loaded before it proceeds to sea - that is another question. And a very simple one. It is limited by the loading/stability manual for the ship which will have been prepared during the design.