G'day MattyBoy,
Yep, 9 hatches is normal for a "Capesize" bulker. Stresses are carefully calculated by the Chief Officer (the loading computer, actually) and loading generally commences somewhere in the middle. if you research the DERBYSHIRE, you will find that quite a few bulk carriers have met unfortunate fates over the years.

Cheers,
tropic

9 hatches !! Blimey ! So does each of the holds have to contain an exact amount of cargo? I'm just thinking about the stresses on the hull. I realise that vessels (particularly box boats), have to be flexible but a 300 meter ore carrier holding too much in the front hold could be a recipe for disaster?
What was the name of that ship that sank somewhere in the 1980's? The Avondale I think?