What is Maximum Allowable Heeling Moments for Grain Cargo ?

Maximum  allowable heeling moments for grain cargo are listed below

In addition to the intact criteria and the damage criteria, the vessel shall comply with the rules for maximum heeling moment due to grain shift, SOLAS 1974, Chapter  VI.

• The metacentric height, after correction for free surfaces, is to be 0.30 m or greater.
• The angle of heel due to grain shift shall be 12 degrees or less.
• In the statical stability diagram, the net or residual area between the heeling arm curve and the GZ curve up to the angle of heel where the maximum difference between the two curves occur, or up to 40 degrees of heel or up to the angle of flooding, whichever is less of the three, shall be 0.075 mrad or more.

These criteria have been taken into account in the preparation of the table of maximum permissible heeling moment due to grain shifting.

The table is presented for draught, trim and KG values covering the vessels operating range.

In short, when the vessel is carrying grain, the master has to ensure that the sum of the heeling moment due to grain shift is smaller than the value obtained from the limiting tables .

Finally the vessel has to comply with the intact and damage stability criteria according to the Stability Information Manual.