PT Karana Line v. Eddie Steamship Co. Ltd. (The Kartini) - Before Donald E. Zubrod (Chairman), Lloyd C. Nelson and Jack Berg - 23 April 1984

Spontaneous combustion of “hot coal” - Whether owners or charterers responsible for vessel’s delay

The bulk carrier Kartini , owned by PT Karana Line, was time-chartered to Eddie Steamship Co. Ltd. on the NYPE form. The charterers ordered the vessel to lift a cargo of bulk coal at New Orleans for carriage to Taiwan. 54,634 tonnes of steam coal were loaded over five days. The vessel sailed for Taiwan, but in the course of the voyage the temperature of the cargo rose to 198° F and the Master decided to return to Long Beach. The Kartini was boarded at the anchorage by the owners’ technical expert on the properties of coal. He considered the situation to be extremely dangerous because explosive gases were being emitted. It was agreed that the cargo should be discharged, mixed, cooled and re-loaded. On re-loading the cargo, it was to be thoroughly mixed, levelled and compacted in the cargo holds. In the course of the unloading, fire broke out in one cargo hold, but in was subsequently extinguished.