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Ventilation:
Surface ventillation is a important necessity during the carriage of coal for two reasons:
1.To dissipate any heat which may be formed by the oxidation of the coal
2.To carry away any methane gas which may be carried away.
Through ventillation must in no way be carried out as introduction of air into the cargo promotes oxidation and thereby spontaneous combustion.
It is thus recommended that for the first five days after loading all ventillators should be utilised for removing the gas, thereafter the ventillators to the lower holds are to be plugged and opened only for 6 hours every two days.
Each hold containing coal should have atleast two ventillators one forward and the other aft. The tween deck ventillators should be independent.
Before discharging careful ventillation should be directed towards removing gases from both, the tween decks and the lower holds as a suddern influx of air before discharge into the hold may have disastrous effects. In fine weather hatches may be opened to facilitate surface ventillation. Attention to be paid to void spaces where accumulation of methane and carbon- monoxide can accumulate.
