mega containers, shipping the world

[Keith Tindell]

Just a heads up for this program, tonight in UK, at 1900hrs, on 5 Select, freeview and freesat, channel 55, or 133. followed at 2000hr, a program on the worlds biggest ports. Could be worth a look, although some of these programs can be disappointing, kt

[Keith Tindell]

Anyone who watched those two programs just showed what a totally different world we all sailed in. Crane drivers sat in offices at computer monitors, miles away from the docks etc, just an amazing world of organization by computers. I thoroughly enjoyed the programs (apart from bloody adverts ), still glad i lived in the world when i did to go to sea. I liked the comment from the old guy about the demise of shore leave time, and less time for the crew to get into mischief as he put it, he was obviously at sea in our time lol

[happy daze john in oz]

My neighbor works in the Port Melbourne docks, tells me that one company has a guy in Manila controlling the movement of containers all by remote on a computer.

But there is now a problem with containers clogging up the port.
Now shipping is getting back to some form of normal the containers are not being moved away quick enough.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Now shipping is getting back to some form of normal the containers are not being moved away quick enough.

Shipping is far from normal John, there are today 111 vessels waiting to berth off the California coast, highest ever recorded previously was 17. Schedules have been discarded and vessels are being berthed on a first come first berth basis, so slow steaming to conserve fuel has gone out of the window, as ships are sailing at maximum speed to join the queue. Smaller ports do not have the equipment to reach the tiers on large container vessels (the USA is particularily backward on this point) so they cannot divert to other ports. This is happening in ports world wide, so it is more than a surplus of empty containers blocking ports, Felixstowe in the UK is now renting farmers fields to stow empty containers. However there may a positive spin off from this (though not for the shipping industry) as manufacturers are now looking at shifting their manufacturing bases back to Europe (incl UK) and USA, so what we lose on the swings we may gain on the roundabout.

[Keith Tindell]

There is also world wide shortage of drivers for the containers, despite what some would have you believe, USA , and large parts of the EU have shortages, they just like to believe it just us, kt

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes Ivan back to normal as the world is just now.
Like UK we are experiencing shortages due to lack of stock arriving.
Not unusual to see as many as eight ships in the bay waiting for a berth.

Warned that there will be price increases of up to 6% over the festive season on some goods.
Will not be effected though as most grog is made here in Oz.