Container Terminals

[john mc dermott]

Watched a documentary on BBC4 yesterday titled Sailors Ships and Stevedores. It was about the transition from the old inner city river docks in Liverpool, London and Tiger Bay to the container terminals further downstream. Like many seamen and dockers i was not a fan ,but now in hindsight, i must say it was the way forward. The inner cities have been transformed by moving the terminals downstream .

[John Arton]

Bleddy dangerous places those container terminals. When the container terminal in Liverpool shifted from the old Canada dock to the new seaforth terminal, in one day two stevedores got killed by the straddle carriers , the vehicles that shift the container to and from the ship to storage areas. One was killed when he was walking between the stacks of containers when one of these carriers can along to pick up a container and the driver couldn't see him and he was crushed against a container by the carriers wheels and later another one was killed by being run over by a straddle carrier whilst he was walking across an open area but the driver of the carrier was unable to see him. All that led to loud alarms be put on the carriers that sounded constantly when the carrier was in motion and strict rules being imposed on where and when personnel, including ships crews, could move around using only marked walkway's.
Rgds
J.A

[John Cassels]

Among my many maritime positions was 6 years as terminal manager of the company's container terminal.

It was a fixed standing rule that nobody - for any reason whatsoever - walked anywhere near or through the stacks during
operations. If anything needed to be checked or accounted for , it was done during shift changes , meal breaks etc.

[James Curry]

Think most modern container terminals are operated by automated carriers and cranes. A guy sits in the control centre and boxes are loaded and unloaded onboard ship using a TV screen and a joy stick.

[Doc Vernon]

Not a Container Terminal, but long ago when i was working as a Stevedore in Cape Town Docks, with my then sort of Stepdad, not at all a bad Bloke.
Anyway he was working on the one Hold , and i on the other, very busy with the Cranes doing their thing, some of those Drivers were Cowboys, then it happened the Large Hooks on the other Crane near Desmond (That was my Stepdad) cam flying in a terrible Arch, and hitting poor Desmond on the back of the Head, well there was no chance at all, went down the Hold like a thrown Brick, it was so sickening, i felt really ill.
Everything of course stopped, and all hands trying to assist where they could!
Not too long the Ambo Crew arrived and took poor Desmond away. Oh what a sad day that was! My dear Mom was shattered to say the least! But time did heal, and we all got back on track! Hell that was so long ago now !!

[happy daze john in oz]

s a museum piece down in Port Melbourne.
It looks so small now considered with the containers.
No more slings of goods to be loaded, gone most of the stevedores.
One of the container berths is operated from some where in Malaysia via a link, cheaper than using local labor.