CARRIAGE OF SEEDCAKE

This Standard Club publication is dealing with marine transportation of seedcake. Let us see what the seedcake is. In fact, it is the residue that remains upon removal of the oil from the oil bearing seeds as well as cereals and relevant products. This is normally achieved by either solvent extraction or mechanical crushing. The seedcake is used as fertilized or animal feed and is the by-product of the vegetable oil production process.

Seedcakes are considered hazardous cargoes since they can self-heat. Even though the process of self-heating is quite slow, it can eventually result in the rise of the bulk temperature of the cargo and at some point the self-ignition will inevitably take place. Therefore the shippers are required to provide relevant certification from the person recognized by the competent authority that would confirm the moisture and oil content of the cargo based on the UN number.

The high moisture content of the cargo will promote significant microbiological activity resulting in the rise of the temperature to as high as seventy degrees and to deterioration in the quality. This will normally not cause ignition; however the accelerated oxidation of the residual oil will take place in this case. As a result, the temperature will sufficiently rise.