PURPOSE: To dispense with cargo taking-in operation and improve work efficiency as well as to make a variety of long, bulk cargoes transportable, by shifting hatch covers on the hatch coaming rearward and housing them in a cover housing ramp projected from the stern with an upright attitude, while enlarging a hatchway as large as necessary.

CONSTITUTION: To house hatch covers 12, a sprocket wheel 18 of a driving device 17 is rotated in an A direction while an endless chain 15 is moved in a B direction and one of the covers 12 connected to the chain 15, which is located at the nearest side to the bow, is shifted to the stern side. With this cover 12 at the bow side, all other covers 12 are pushed and moved to the stern side. At this time, a traveling roller 13 travels on a hatch coaming 10 and thereby a balance roller 14 at the nearest side to the stern runs onto a housing ramp 11. Since the roller 14 is located at the bow side nearer than the center of the covers 12, each cover is tilted whereby the traveling roller 13 is set in an upright attitude at that point where it gets out of the rear end of the coaming 10 and housed in. Next, to arrange these covers 12 in parallel on the coaming 10, first the sprocket wheel 18 is reversely rotated and then the chain 15 is moved in a reverse direction.