[hilifta]

Hi there GC,

Have just had a look at the photo, quite impressive.
it is however about 2yrs old. It looks as though the new seal has just been laid at the top right of the picture, plus the Custom X-ray truck is still where our extended car parking now is.
So question 1;
We do get trucks alongside the vessel for stores, repairs, slop pumping etc. The only time we unload or load direct to trucks (DMV) is for explosive boxes which have to go off wharf immediately. Large OD cargo, boats, yacht masts, etc which are landed straight on to trucks and are taken directly off the dock. Very big yachts and launches are often landed direct into the water. This is usually because they won't fit between the crane legs.
The reach of G and H cranes is 22metres, and for I,J and K it is 25metres.
They can land cargo into backreach, (behind the legs), but usually it is only lids (hatch covers), that are put there.
Q2;
The cranes only lift 1x40ft box or 2x20ft boxes. Some cranes in Asia can lift 4x20's although I am not sure how that all works. In Singapore last year I did see them loading 2x20ftrs with one hanging under the other by the twistlocks!! Highly dangerous, twistlocks are not made for that.
Q3;
Thought I had covered this in a previous article. We receive a list of all the cargo coming off and the planners decide where it is go into the terminal. We punch in the number of a discharge box and this position comes up on our screen and that's where we take it. For imports the plan of work for the vessel controls where and when we pick up boxes. We are assigned to a specific crane. Generally a hold is unloaded and then back loaded, and the crane moves on to another hatch. There has to be a working plan for the vessel because two cranes can't work in adjacent hatches, there has to be 1 hatch in between the ones they are working.
If you look at the crane boom, and then look back to the crane body, it is much bigger. That is why there has to be a hatch in between.
The yard is planned so that export boxes are stored closest to the berth when they are received, and imports closer to the road and rail grids. Well, that's the theory anyway. Doesn't always work like that.
The stacks you see at the end of the berth are an overflow area, at the moment they are full of reefers on power. At this time time of the years reefer spots are at a premium.
Q4,
Import boxes are given 3 free days to be collected, after that they pay demurrage, big time. We can't afford to have them waiting around too long. Space is too valuable. Export boxes are usually given about a week. This can vary due to circumstances.
Q5;
The numbers of cranes does depend on the length of the vessel, Maersk Radford or Vega Gotland for example can only work two cranes. They will take 3 but then they would be so close together the straddles could not access the middle crane. So it would be pointless.
Last night we had 3 on Bunga Reya Dua Belas, 2 on the MOL Sparkle, when the Sparkle finished her 2 cranes shifted on to the Bunga and she then had 5 cranes. But she is about 260mtres long.

Q6;
Look to the right of the photo and you will see 2 road grids, A and B. Trucks are sent to either grid, depending on traffic. If they are full a straddle will be sent to unload them, and at the same time another straddle will be picking up a box from the stacks to load him.
Sometimes of course they are only delivering or picking up a box.
Q7;
That rail lines you see is the rail transfer facility. The rail rakes are unloaded by toplifting hoists and put on the ground where the rail straddles put them in special stacks for us. We move them to the terminal as we can be spared. Usually after a ship has finished there is a never ending stream of straddles heading for rail.
Q8;
At the bottom right those boxes stacked closer together are our empty yard and is serviced by toplifting hoists that can stack 7 high. (Mty's only tho!) The Port Co makes a huge amount out of this bit of land as there are so many boxes in a given area.

I'll complete this here and then I'll do another with some other port history and other info. I'll try and explain the photo a bit more.

Rgds/Mike