By taking part in studies on nickel ore density, SLN contributed to the design of a ship with an anti-free surface design. This is the first nickel ore carrier of its kind.
The free surface phenomenon: a major risk for nickel shipping. Nickel ore tends to liquefy above a certain humidity point during shipping. In the most extreme cases, this can sink the ship, leading to loss of life. To address the issue, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) tightened legislation on ore shipping by introducing the IMSBC code. After an optional period in 2009 and 2010, the code became obligatory on January 1st, 2011.
Since 2009 Société Le Nickel-SLN has directly invested in studies on an alternative transport solution using a specialised ship. SLN teams carried out ore density tests over almost 6 months in order to design a ship that could prevent the free surface effect. A long-term charter contract was signed in January 2011 for a new Caledonian waters in September 2012.
