International Grain Code
MSC.23(59): the grain heeling moment method, the document of authorization, the grain loading manual, and the intact stability criteria for a grain cargo.
The International Code for the Safe Carriage of Grain in Bulk, adopted as resolution MSC.23(59), is the mandatory instrument governing the stability of a ship carrying grain, made applicable by SOLAS chapter VI part C. Its central concern is the heeling moment produced when a free grain surface shifts in a seaway.
The full article will cover the calculation method, the volumetric heeling moments for filled and partly filled compartments, the assumed void depths and the 15 degree shift assumption, and the three intact stability criteria a grain-laden ship must satisfy, together with the document of authorization and the grain loading manual that evidence compliance.
It will also cover the route by which non-grain cargoes reach the Code: IMSBC section 5.4.3 requires a non-cohesive bulk cargo with an angle of repose at or below 30 degrees to be carried according to the provisions applicable to the stowage of grain cargoes, which brings cargoes such as wood pellets into scope.