The box that changed the world

Half a century ago the major ports of most countries looked and sounded a lot different. They were noisier, smellier and more crowded. Ships discharged their cargoes over many days in port.  Cargo handling had not changed much from the days of the sailing ships. The work was often dangerous and backbreaking for the men whose job it was to discharge and load the ships. This was certainly true in Belfast docks. Dockers were traditionally poorly treated; working down in the holds of ships in intensely harsh conditions when work was available and left to hang around street corners in the hope of work when ships were scarce.  One of the earliest labour disputes of the last century was the Belfast Dockers’ strike of 1907.  The dockworkers’ betrayal by the leadership of the National Union of Dock Labourers led to the foundation of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union which still exists as SIPTU.

  The nature of dock work began to change in the mid-sixties as containerisation took over.  This was s simple idea that revolutionised many aspects of cargo handling and reduced operating costs immensely.  Instead of an infinite variety of boxes, crates, cartons, bundles and bags which required lots of different handling techniques most cargo now came in sealed metal containers of standard length and height.

  When I first began to work in the Belfast docks in 1974, containers were new-fangled things. I worked for the Head Line (the Ulster Steamship Company) that until the late sixties had dominated the North Atlantic and Baltic trade into Belfast.  By the time I joined the company the big fleet had all gone; only one vessel remained, the Fair Head. This had been converted into a container ship and leased to a Canadian company under the name of the Cast Beaver.

  Port operators did not always welcome containerisation because it required a lot of investment in specialised cranes and handling equipment.. The Head Line used an ordinary swinging crane at York Dock fitted with a number of lifting beams designed to lock into the standardised holes in the corners of each container. It also used specially adapted forklift trucks for lifting off empty boxes and a ‘straddle-carrier’.  This allowed containers to be laid out and stacked three-high in rows.  However, this makeshift workaround did not last for long and the company gave up its attempt to operate its own container terminal in 1987.  Belfast has now two container terminals at Victoria Terminal 3 and Herdman Channel.

  The advantages of the container revolution are obvious: it takes much less time to load and discharge ships in port and to load and unload trucks and trains at freight terminals.  The cargo is protected from theft and handling damage, as it is sealed into a container at the point of loading and only opened again at its destination.

  The vast majority of containers come in two main lengths; 20 feet and 40 feet. A 40-foot box can carry up to 26 tonnes of cargo. These economies of scale have transformed the business of getting raw materials to manufacturers and finished goods to customers all over the world.

  Containers are not really suitable for bulk produce like oil, grain, sheet steel and the type of newsprint on which your Carrick Biz is printed. They are perfect for exporting the type of goods produced by Northern Ireland’s major manufacturers; tyres from Michelin, drink from Diageo, tobacco products from Gallaher, Lycra from DuPont and diesel generators from F G Wilson. 

  The Larne-based manufacturer even builds special gensets that are built-in to 20-foot and 40-foot containers.  These can be godsends to aid providers in the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters, as they are quick ways to restore electrical power to devastated areas.

  A downside of containerisation is its key role in both facilitating and maintaining trade globalisation in the 1990s.  The good side of this is the huge availability of cheap consumer goods.  Virtually every item in your house, the shoes on your feet and the clothes on you back travelled in a container.  Even the bricks that built your house came over in a container. On the other hand, the costs of transportation and communication costs has dropped so much that companies are able to relocate manufacturing, assembly, and distribution sites throughout the world.  That’s why so much stuff is made in China these days. Twenty-six percent of all container shipments in the world today originate in that country. Containers are here to stay.

 

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Half a century ago the major ports of most countries looked and sounded a lot different. They were noisier, smellier and more crowded. Ships discharged their cargoes over many days in port.  Cargo handling had not changed much from the days of the sailing ships. The work was often dangerous and backbreaking for the men whose job it was to discharge and load the ships. This was certainly true in Belfast docks. Dockers were traditionally poorly treated; working down in the holds of ships in intensely harsh conditions when work was available and left to hang around street corners in the hope of work when ships were scarce.  One of the earliest labour disputes of the last century was the Belfast Dockers’ strike of 1907.  The dockworkers’ betrayal by the leadership of the National Union of Dock Labourers led to the foundation of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union which still exists as SIPTU.

  The nature of dock work began to change in the mid-sixties as containerisation took over.  This was s simple idea that revolutionised many aspects of cargo handling and reduced operating costs immensely.  Instead of an infinite variety of boxes, crates, cartons, bundles and bags which required lots of different handling techniques most cargo now came in sealed metal containers of standard length and height.

  When I first began to work in the Belfast docks in 1974, containers were new-fangled things. I worked for the Head Line (the Ulster Steamship Company) that until the late sixties had dominated the North Atlantic and Baltic trade into Belfast.  By the time I joined the company the big fleet had all gone; only one vessel remained, the Fair Head. This had been converted into a container ship and leased to a Canadian company under the name of the Cast Beaver.

  Port operators did not always welcome containerisation because it required a lot of investment in specialised cranes and handling equipment.. The Head Line used an ordinary swinging crane at York Dock fitted with a number of lifting beams designed to lock into the standardised holes in the corners of each container. It also used specially adapted forklift trucks for lifting off empty boxes and a ‘straddle-carrier’.  This allowed containers to be laid out and stacked three-high in rows.  However, this makeshift workaround did not last for long and the company gave up its attempt to operate its own container terminal in 1987.  Belfast has now two container terminals at Victoria Terminal 3 and Herdman Channel.

  The advantages of the container revolution are obvious: it takes much less time to load and discharge ships in port and to load and unload trucks and trains at freight terminals.  The cargo is protected from theft and handling damage, as it is sealed into a container at the point of loading and only opened again at its destination.

  The vast majority of containers come in two main lengths; 20 feet and 40 feet. A 40-foot box can carry up to 26 tonnes of cargo. These economies of scale have transformed the business of getting raw materials to manufacturers and finished goods to customers all over the world.

  Containers are not really suitable for bulk produce like oil, grain, sheet steel and the type of newsprint on which your Carrick Biz is printed. They are perfect for exporting the type of goods produced by Northern Ireland’s major manufacturers; tyres from Michelin, drink from Diageo, tobacco products from Gallaher, Lycra from DuPont and diesel generators from F G Wilson. 

  The Larne-based manufacturer even builds special gensets that are built-in to 20-foot and 40-foot containers.  These can be godsends to aid providers in the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters, as they are quick ways to restore electrical power to devastated areas.

  A downside of containerisation is its key role in both facilitating and maintaining trade globalisation in the 1990s.  The good side of this is the huge availability of cheap consumer goods.  Virtually every item in your house, the shoes on your feet and the clothes on you back travelled in a container.  Even the bricks that built your house came over in a container. On the other hand, the costs of transportation and communication costs has dropped so much that companies are able to relocate manufacturing, assembly, and distribution sites throughout the world.  That’s why so much stuff is made in China these days. Twenty-six percent of all container shipments in the world today originate in that country. Containers are here to stay.