A ship not having onboard a document of authorization issued in

accordance with Grain Code & still want to load grain cargo may
be permitted to load bulk grain but then it needs to fulfil certain
criterias which is as follows:

1. The total weight of the bulk grain shall not exceed one third of
the deadweight of the ship;

2. All filled compartments, trimmed, shall be fitted with

centreline divisions extending, for the full length of such
compartments, downwards from the underside of the deck or hatch
covers to a distance below the deck line of at least one eighth of
the maximum breadth of the compartment or 2.4 m, whichever is
the greater, except that saucers constructed in accordance with
Grain code may be accepted in lieu of a centreline division in and
beneath a hatchway except in the case of linseed and other seeds
having similar properties;

3. All hatches to filled compartments, trimmed, shall be closed

and covers secured in place;

4. All free grain surfaces in partly filled cargo space shall be

trimmed level and secured in accordance with grain code;

5. Throughout the voyage the metacentric height after correction

for the free surface effects of liquids in tanks shall be 0.3 m or that
given by the following formula, whichever is the greater:

GMR = L B Vd (0.25 B – 0.645 × square root of Vd B)/ SF x ∆ x

0.0875
Documents of Authorization as per Grain code :-

A document of authorization shall be issued for every ship loaded

in accordance with the regulations of grain Code either by the
Administration or an organization recognized by it or by a
Contracting Government on behalf of the Administration. It shall be
accepted as evidence that the ship is capable of complying with
the requirements of these regulations.

The document shall accompany or be incorporated into the grain

loading manual provided to enable the master to meet the
requirements.

Such a document, grain loading stability data and associated plans

may be drawn up in the official language or languages of the
issuing country. If the language used is neither English nor French,
the text shall include a translation into one of these languages.

A ship without such a document of authorization shall not load

grain until the master demonstrates to the satisfaction of the
Administration, or of the Contracting Government of the port of
loading acting on behalf of the Administration, that, in its loaded
condition for the intended voyage, the ship complies with the
requirements of grain Code.

Where:

L =total combined length of all full compartments (metres)

B = moulded breadth of the vessel (metres)

SF = stowage factor (cubic metres per tonne)

Vd = calculated average void depth calculated in accordance with

B 1 (metres-Note:not millimetres)

D = displacement (tonnes);

6. The master demonstrates to the satisfaction of the

Administration or the Contracting Government of the port of
loading on behalf of the Administration that the ship in its
proposed loaded condition will comply with the requirements of
this section.

A ship without such a document shall not load grain until the
master satisfies the Administration, or the Contracting
Government of the port of loading on behalf of the
Administration,that the ship will comply with the requirements of
the International Grain Code in its proposed loaded condition.

What is Stability requirements for Grain

Loading?
The intact stability characteristics of any ship carrying bulk grain
shall be shown to meet, throughout the voyage, at least the
following criteria after taking into account in the manner described
in part B of this Code and, the heeling moments due to grain shift:
 * The angle of heel due to the shift of grain shall not be greater
than 12° or in the case of ships constructed on or after 1 January
1994 the angle at which the deck edge is immersed, whichever is
the lesser;

* In the statical stability diagram, the net or residual area

between the heeling arm curve and the righting arm curve up to
the angle of heel of maximum difference between the ordinates of
the two curves, or 40° or the angle of flooding (01), whichever is
the least, shall in all conditions of loading be not less than 0.075
metre-radians; and

* The initial metacentric height, after correction for the free

surface effects of liquids in tanks, shall be not less than 0.30
meter.

* Before loading bulk grain the master shall, if so required by the

Contracting Government of the country of the port of loading,
demonstrate the ability of the ship at all stages of any voyage to
comply with the stability criteria required by this section.

* After loading, the master shall ensure that the ship is upright
before proceeding to sea.

23

Stowage of bulk grain as per grain code

All necessary and reasonable trimming shall be performed to level

all free grain surfaces and to minimize the effect of grain shifting.
• in any filled compartment, trimmed, the bulk grain shall be
trimmed so as to fill all spaces under the decks and hatch
covers to the maximum extent possible.
• In any filled compartment, untrimmed, the bulk grain shall be
filled to the maximum extent possible in way of the hatch
opening but may be at its natural angle of repose outside the
periphery of the hatch opening. A filled compartment may
qualify for this classification if it falls into one of the following
categories:
1. The Administration issuing the document of authorization
may, under grain code , grant dispensation from trimming
in those cases where the underdeck void geometry
resulting from free flowing grain into a compartment,
which may be provided with feeder ducts, perforated
decks or other similar means, is taken into account when
calculating the void depths; or
2. The compartment is “specially suitable” as defined grain
code, in which case dispensation may be granted from
trimming the ends of that compartment.

• If there is no bulk grain or other cargo above a lower cargo

space containing grain, the hatch covers shall be secured in
an approved manner having regard to the mass and permanent
arrangements provided for securing such covers.
• When bulk grain is stowed on top of closed ‘tween-deck hatch
covers which are not grain-tight, such covers shall be made
grain-tight by taping the joints, covering the entire hatchway
with tarpaulins or separation cloths, or other suitable means.
• After loading, all free grain surfaces in partly filled
compartments shall be level.
• In filled compartments, trimmed; filled compartments,
untrimmed; and partly filled compartments, longitudinal
divisions may be installed as a device to reduce the adverse
heeling effect of grain shift provided that:
1. The division is grain-tight;
 2. The construction meets the requirements of raincode.

Note :-

This Code applies to ships regardless of size, including those of

less than 500 tons gross tonnage, engaged in the carriage of grain
in bulk, to which part C of chapter VI of the 1974 SOLAS
Convention, as amended, applies.
The term grain covers wheat, maize (corn), oats, rye, barley, rice,
pulses, seeds and processed forms thereof, whose behavior is
similar to that of grain in its natural state.
For the purpose of this Code, the expression “ships constructed”
means “ships the keels of which are laid or which are at a similar
stage of construction”.
The term filled compartment, trimmed, refers to any cargo space in
which, after loading and trimming as required under grain code, the
bulk grain is at its highest possible level
The term filled compartment, untrimmed, refers to a cargo space
which is filled to the maximum extent possible in way of the hatch
opening but which has not been trimmed outside the periphery of
the hatch opening either by the provisions of grain code for all
ships or for specially suitable compartments.
The term partly filled compartment refers to any cargo space
wherein the bulk grain is not loaded in the manner prescribed in
grain code i.e(neither filled compartment, trimmed nor filled
compartment , untrimmed).

Documents of Authorization as per Grain code :-

A document of authorization shall be issued for every ship loaded

in accordance with the regulations of grain Code either by the
Administration or an organization recognized by it or by a
Contracting Government on behalf of the Administration. It shall be
accepted as evidence that the ship is capable of complying with
the requirements of these regulations.
The document shall accompany or be incorporated into the grain
loading manual provided to enable the master to meet the
requirements.
Such a document, grain loading stability data and associated plans
may be drawn up in the official language or languages of the
issuing country. If the language used is neither English nor French,
the text shall include a translation into one of these languages.
A ship without such a document of authorization shall not load
grain until the master demonstrates to the satisfaction of the
Administration, or of the Contracting Government of the port of
loading acting on behalf of the Administration, that, in its loaded
condition for the intended voyage, the ship complies with the
requirements of grain Code.