Discharging Containers From a Ship (imports)
From the diagram above you will note the crane in this instance is discharging containers from the ship onto either the wharf apron or onto an awaiting transfer vehicle. From here the container is transferred for storage within the terminal. The two methods by which containers are transferred within the terminal are either straddle truck, which transfers the container from under the crane directly to a predetermined stacking position or by transfer vehicle which is simply a prime mover with attached heavy duty semi trailer. The transfer vehicle can take up to two containers at a time to an awaiting forklift which then stacks them into a predetermined yard stacking position. Yard stacking position is in practice and theory a grid system using either an alphanumerical combination or by numbers combinations. Either system works well and is absolutely necessary for safe, easy and efficient despatchment. Some ports are geared for straddle trucks and others are geared to use a combination of transfer vehicles and forklifts. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. It is arguable which method is the more safe, efficient and productive.
Factors That Cause Delays in Discharging Containers
The greatest cause of cargo delays in Australia are portainer breakdowns. Because of their age (some are nearly 30 years old), many electro-mechanical parts, lack of suitable upgrading portainers cannot consistently perform to manage a more than reasonable 28+ containers per hour.
Other causes for delays are the misplacement of containers when being loaded for Australia by overseas ports. If you look at the diagram above, you will see that different ports are not placed strategically or in a manner that allows them to be discharged without having to move other cargo. This factor occurs regularly and contributes significantly to unnecessary delays here in Australia and is directly caused by incompetent stevedoring from big ports like Singapore. Singapore say the reason for the slap hazard loading procedure is to balance up the ship, but the real reason is productivity goals. Even yard planning for container stacking in Australia leaves a lot to be desired. Many times blunders and bloopers are detected and competency in this area must be questioned.
Other factors, but of far less significance are high winds, straddle, forklift and transfer vehicle breakdowns or yard congestion through mixing ship with receival and delivery operations. These are however, very minute and have very little effect on productivity.
Factors That Cause Delays in Getting Your Cargo
Probably the biggest misnomer in Australian business is that cargo delays are caused by wharfies being on strike. One desperate shop operator was caught red handed one day when a wharfie went into his fishing tackle shop to collect a rod he had ordered some months back. When asked when it was due the reply from the shop clerk was that the wharfies were on strike and the stuff is still on the wharf. The bemused wharfie then explained where he worked and they had not been on strike over the past two years.
Peter Reith's and John Howard's statements about goods "rotting on Australian wharves" put them in the same catagory as our desperate little store clerk, but then, they are politicians.
There has never been one reported incident in Australia where a customer's goods have rotted on any Australian wharf through any fault of waterside workers. But there are several reasons why importers don't receive their cargo on time. Here are the main reasons:
How Long Does It Take To Land Your Cargo?
Good question. This could be calculated given these factors:
Receiving and Delivering of Cargo
Factors That Cause Delays in Getting Your Cargo
Cargo is received and delivered Monday to Friday continuous from 7:00am in the morning until 11:00pm at night in most Australian ports. In some special instances, R&D operations can operate on the weekends.
