Guides

Iron ore and mineral inspection

Iron ore comes into Turkey for the integrated steel mills, through the Iskenderun Bay and the Black Sea; chrome ore and other minerals also leave Turkish ports for export. These cargoes are priced on their chemistry and, when fine and wet, can be dangerous to carry.

Sampling and assays

Samples are taken in increments throughout loading or discharge and divided for buyer, seller and umpire. For iron ore the laboratory reports iron (Fe) and the main impurities — silica, alumina, phosphorus, sulphur — on a dry basis, together with moisture. Lump, fines and pellets are also checked for size distribution, since too many fines in a lump cargo is a quality issue.

Moisture limits and liquefaction

Some fine ores and mineral concentrates can turn fluid if they are too wet and the ship rolls, which can capsize it. Under the IMSBC Code these cargoes need a certificate of the transportable moisture limit (TML) and the actual moisture before loading. Surveyors check these certificates and may run a simple can test on site. For discharging ships, the moisture result also feeds into the dry weight, which is what the price is paid on.

Weight

As with other bulk cargoes the weight is fixed by draft survey, and the moisture is deducted to give the dry metric tons the invoice uses. See the draft survey guide.

Who can inspect

Ores and minerals fall under customs chapters 25 and 26. Portiva shows on every port page which companies hold these chapters.

Finding a surveyor

Choose the port on Portiva to see every authorized company there. To get quotes, send one request and we pass it to companies working in that port. Survey companies abroad looking for a local surveyor to attend on their behalf can use the attending surveyor request.