What to expect during cargo loading on an LCT

An LCT does not load like any other vessel in the Philippine inter-island fleet. Standard cargo ships take on cargo through a hatch from above or through a side door at the quay. An LCT takes its cargo through the bow. The ramp lowers, and everything — trucks, excavators, bagged cement, steel rebar on flatbeds, bulk aggregate in dump trucks — drives or is carried directly onto the open deck. That single design feature, the bow ramp, determines the entire loading sequence, shapes how we manage trim and ballast as weight comes aboard, and sets the physical constraints on what cargo an LCT can and cannot carry.

The bow ramp also creates the operating condition that defines LCT logistics in the Philippines: a vessel that can reach any beach, any tidal flat, and any construction site with no port infrastructure whatsoever. That capability does not come free. It demands more from the loading team, more from the cargo officer, and more from the shipper than a standard port-to-port container move. This is what happens from the moment your cargo arrives at the berth to the moment the ramp goes up and we sail.

Before a single piece of cargo comes aboard, our cargo officer prepares a loading plan. The plan accounts for the total declared weight of the cargo, how that weight will be distributed across the deck, the vessel's current lightship draft fore and aft, and the passage conditions for the specific route. LCTs operate on a flat, open deck without fixed cargo holds, which means every loading arrangement has to be designed from scratch for each voyage. There is no default stow.

We verify declared weights at the berth before loading starts. Shippers who submit accurate cargo data in advance allow the loading plan to be finalised before the vessel even berths. Shippers who submit no data, or inaccurate data, cost us time at the ramp while we weigh, measure, and recalculate. On a tide-sensitive beach departure, that delay is not recoverable.

The pre-loading inspection covers the ramp mechanism, the ramp door seals, the deck surface condition, the ballast pump system, and the lashing points and securing fittings across the cargo deck. Any defect identified during this inspection is resolved before loading begins. We do not load onto an unverified deck.

Cargo loads in a sequence determined by weight and position, not by convenience. The loading plan specifies the order. Deviation from that order without recalculating the trim impact is how vessels develop a list or an uncorrectable trim before departure. The cargo officer is on deck throughout loading and has authority to stop the operation if the sequence is not being followed.

1. 01The heaviest items load first and are positioned as close to the vessel's longitudinal center of gravity as the deck layout allows. For most cargo mixes, this means heavy plant equipment or dense bulk loads go mid-ship, not at the extreme bow or stern.
2. 02Vehicles and rolling stock are driven aboard over the ramp under the direction of the deck crew. The driver does not make positioning decisions. The cargo officer signals where each vehicle stops and the deck crew chocks and lashes immediately after each unit is in position.
3. 03Bulk cargo carried on flatbed trucks or tipping bodies is loaded with the truck aboard. The truck delivers the load onto the deck, the cargo is redistributed by hand or small equipment if needed, and the empty truck departs before the next one enters.
4. 04Palletised and packaged cargo is loaded last, in the spaces between or around heavy units, filling the deck without disturbing the trim balance established in the earlier loading passes.
5. 05The cargo officer takes draft readings fore and aft at regular intervals during loading — not just at the end. Readings at 25, 50, and 75 percent of the declared cargo weight catch trim problems early, while ballast corrections are still practical.

The crew roles during loading are fixed. The cargo officer manages the sequence and communicates directly with the master on trim and ballast status. Deck hands handle chocking and lashing as each unit arrives. The engineer monitors the ballast pump system and adjusts tank fill levels on instruction from the cargo officer. Shore handlers, forklift operators, and truck drivers follow deck crew signals only. Shore personnel do not enter the vessel deck without clearance from the cargo officer.

As cargo loads over the bow ramp, the forward draft increases. The vessel trims by the head. Left uncorrected, a heavy forward trim increases resistance underway, reduces propeller efficiency, and in severe cases makes the vessel unsteerable at speed. We correct it by filling the aft ballast tanks with seawater as loading progresses, keeping the trim within the limits specified in the vessel's stability booklet.2 The ballast pump operator works in direct communication with the cargo officer, adding ballast incrementally and confirming aft draft readings at each interval.

Ballast management is the most underestimated part of LCT cargo loading. Everyone watches the ramp. Nobody watches the stern until the trim is already wrong.

The free surface effect is the specific stability risk that ballast operations introduce. When a tank is partially filled with liquid, the liquid shifts as the vessel rolls, raising the vessel's effective center of gravity and reducing its metacentric height (GM). A reduced GM means a slower righting response and, at the extreme, a vessel that does not return to upright after a roll.2 We manage this risk by a simple rule: ballast tanks are either full or empty. No tank is left at an intermediate fill level during a passage. When a tank reaches its correction target, it is pumped to full capacity. If a partial correction overshoots the trim target, we de-ballast a different tank rather than leaving two tanks at partial fill.

The target departure drafts depend on the route. A coastal hop between adjacent islands in sheltered water permits a more forward trim than a Visayan Sea or Mindanao Sea crossing where 2-to-3 metre swells are a normal condition. The master specifies the acceptable departure trim range before loading begins, and the loading plan is built to achieve it.

Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Memorandum Circular No. 2011-03 requires all domestic vessels carrying cargo units to have an approved Cargo Securing Manual (CSM) on board at all times.1 For vessels of 500 gross tons and above, the CSM must be submitted to MARINA for approval before the vessel operates on the relevant cargo category.1The CSM is vessel-specific: it describes the actual securing devices fitted to the deck, their rated breaking loads, and the correct securing arrangement for each category of cargo the vessel is approved to carry.

The CSM requirements implement the International Maritime Organization's Code of Safe Practice for Cargo Stowage and Securing (CSS Code)3 for domestic Philippine trade. The practical effect is that our cargo officers cannot improvise securing arrangements. Every securing method used on our vessels is described in the approved CSM, and every piece of cargo that comes aboard is secured according to a method that CSM authorises. If we encounter a cargo type not covered by the existing CSM, we prepare a specific arrangement, document it, and submit it to MARINA before the voyage.

1. 01Wheeled and tracked vehicles are chocked at all four wheels and lashed with chains or wire rope to deck lashing points. Lashing angle and chain tension are checked after chocking and again after the first 30 minutes of transit, when thermal and vibrational settling can loosen initial tensions.
2. 02Bagged cargo — cement, fertiliser, rice, mineral concentrates — is stowed in block form, with bags interlocked and the stack braced against a bulkhead or a fixed vehicle. Loose bags at the outer face of a stack are netted or strapped.
3. 03Steel sections, pipes, and rebar bundles are positioned as low as possible on the deck, chocked against rolling, and lashed with at least two independent lashing points per bundle. Bundle end caps are confirmed to be in place before loading to prevent individual bars shifting out of the bundle end during a roll.
4. 04Heavy plant — excavators, bulldozers, compactors — is loaded with attachments in the travel position, bucket or blade lowered and secured, and the unit locked in park. These items require specific lashing diagrams from the CSM and are confirmed by the cargo officer before departure.

The final lashing inspection is conducted by the cargo officer with the ramp still lowered. Every lashing point on the deck is physically checked. The inspection result is recorded in the ship's log before the ramp is raised. MARINA port state inspectors check the ship's log and the CSM compliance record as part of routine inspections.1

Once loading is complete and the final lashing inspection is logged, the ramp is raised and secured with the chain stopper system. The ramp door is not a watertight closure. It is a structural seal, and it performs correctly within the sea state parameters the vessel is approved to operate in. If the forecast sea state for the passage exceeds the vessel's operational limit, departure does not proceed regardless of whether the cargo is loaded and the berth time has been paid.

The master takes final draft readings fore and aft after the ramp is secured. These readings confirm the departure trim is within the range approved for the passage. If a discrepancy appears between the final draft readings and the loading plan calculations, the cargo officer investigates before departure documents are signed.

The PCG has authority to issue a Hold Notice to PPA, which withholds departure clearance, if a compliance issue is identified during a pre-departure inspection. The vessel does not sail until the Hold Notice is lifted. This is not a formality. Our vessels are subject to this inspection regime on every departure, and we maintain our documentation and vessel condition so that any inspection, announced or otherwise, produces a clean result.

Most loading delays we encounter trace back to cargo information problems, not vessel problems. A shipper who provides accurate, complete cargo data before mobilisation allows us to build a loading plan, confirm the vessel is suitable for the cargo type, and schedule the berth window with certainty. A shipper who provides incomplete data forces those steps to happen at the ramp, under time pressure, with the vessel already alongside.

The minimum cargo information we require before building a loading plan is:

1. 01Accurate declared weight per item or per category, in metric tonnes. Estimates rounded to the nearest 10 tonnes are not sufficient for stability calculations. We need actual weights from weighbridge tickets, equipment dataplates, or bill of lading records.
2. 02Dimensions of any item that may approach or exceed the vessel's ramp width or deck clearance height. An excavator that does not fit within the ramp opening cannot board. Finding this out at the berth wastes the vessel day and the berth booking.
3. 03Cargo category — whether the consignment is classified as general cargo, heavy lift, dangerous goods, or bulk. Any dangerous goods classification must include the IMO class, UN number, and the shipper's declaration. We do not load undeclared hazardous materials.
4. 04Destination access conditions. If the delivery point is a beaching site rather than a port, we need the GPS coordinates, a description of the beach gradient and surface, and tidal data or the local tide table. We use this information to plan the approach and confirm the vessel can beach and refloat safely at the delivery site.
5. 05Contact details for the consignee or their representative at the destination, available from the moment the vessel departs. If conditions at the destination site change, we need to reach the consignee immediately, not after a delay locating them.

We ask for this information because LCT cargo loading on an inter-island route is not a standardised transaction. Every voyage involves a specific vessel, a specific cargo mix, a specific route, and a specific delivery site. The loading plan is the document that reconciles all of those variables into a safe and efficient operation. Good cargo information produces a good loading plan. A good loading plan means the ramp goes down on time, the cargo loads in sequence, the vessel departs on trim, and your consignment reaches its destination the way you packed it.