The Cambridgeshire and a Mysterious Case of Sulphur Corrosion
Loading sulphur The Cambridgeshire was a newly built bulk carrier that loaded a cargo of sulphur in Vancouver for Mozambique. Sulphur is a fine yellow powder produced as a by-product of the oil and gas industry and in Vancouver, it is sprayed with a fine mist of water during the loading operation to prevent fires and pollution. On arrival at the discharge port and when the hatches were opened, it was found that some of the sulphur had hardened and turned black and when the hardened sulphur was chipped away, the ship's sides were terribly corroded. The cargo had to be dug out and the ship sailed to South Africa, where she was repaired over a period of almost six months. The total losses suffered by the owners (in lost time and repairs) was $10m, which they sought to recover from Canadian cargo interests. To begin with, no one had any idea how this heavy corrosion had occurred. I had appointed Dr RF Milton & Partners investigate the cause, but for once, Reg Milton was stumped. Th...