A bulk carrier was to load a cargo of nickel ore from barges into five holds. During loading, which took approximately three weeks, intermittent rainfall caused interruptions in loading. The ore on the barges had to be covered over with tarpaulins and the holds on the vessel had to be closed. The crew of the vessel carried out a ‘can test’ of the ore on each barge before transfer to the vessel. If the test failed, an ‘oven drying test’ was done to determine the moisture content of the ore. If the moisture content was found to exceed the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML was 34.80%), the cargo in the barge would normally be rejected.