THE discharge of containers from the fire-damaged Yantian Express is underway in the Port of Halifax and is expected to take at least 12 days, said Ocean Network Express (ONE), an alliance partner of shipowner Hapag-Lloyd, in a customer advisory.
Some 3,200 containers will have to be discharged from the 7,510-TEU ship and is estimated to take 85 hours of work. The ship will have to shift along the berth at times to allow access for regularly scheduled vessels before shifting back to resume cargo operations, ONE said.
The containers, once ashore, will be stacked separately into those for which general average and salvage security have been provided and those that remain unsecured, reported American Shipper.
Unsecured containers cannot be released from the terminal until all appropriate security has been provided and release is confirmed by general average and salvage adjuster Richards Hogg Lindley.
"In respect of the forwarding of secured containers to final destination, please appreciate that the terminal cannot dig out or 'cherry pick' specific containers once stacked ashore," ONE said in the advisory.
"Thus, secured containers will be moved to the rail (or transshipment vessel) for delivery in the most efficient and expedient manner to speed handling," it said.
Cargo surveys must be performed at final destination, ONE said, because "it is untenable to move containers to ground positions in Halifax for inspection, not to mention the lack of space on the terminal, delays to be encountered, etc".
2019/5/29 1:13:37