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M/V PEARL K – LOADED WITH RAILWAY CARS – ON A TRANSATLANTIC VOYAGE CROSSING TWO OCEANS

On 20th  January, 2009, m/v PEARL K completed a voyage carrying railway cars. Railway cars are a specific cargo which is seldom transported by non-specialized vessels. Therefore, one of the critical issues was how to secure the railway cars and the main difficulty in preparing the stowage plan was caused by the railcar sizes: the dimensions of each car were 14.24 x 3.01 x 4.28 meters (LxBxH) and the car weight – 25 600 kg.

The vessel structure and the availability of twin decks allowed the vessel to load 25 railcars in the cargo holds, another 21 cars on the twin decks, and 19 on the hatch covers. The preliminary calculations showed that the vessel could load 4 additional railcars on the deck.  Thus, the maximum cargo capacity could reach 69 railcars – a very good achievement for a vessel of 23,200 tons deadweight.

In view of the difficult voyage, one of the most significant operations was securing the cargo, which required extra effort and time. The voyage involved a crossing of two oceans – the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean, and transit through the Suez Canal. The crossing of the Atlantic was assisted by a specially appointed weather service to assist the vessel in choosing the best route. The vessel discharged 65 railway cars without any problems at its final destination.