Sphere No.43 (Oct 2017)

<< SPHERE #43 2017 17 On a human level, lives have been elevated by the advent of the container. As Clemence Cheng, Managing Director, Europe Division, Hutchison Ports, explains, “The volume of trade made possible by the container has lifted large parts of the world out of poverty and continues to help developing economies to grow, and developed economies to prosper.” Indeed, according to Mr Cheng, “A world without the container is unimaginable.” CONTAINERS AND HEART This transformation started in Britain with just a few men. A number of that small complement of workers in 1967 – numbering perhaps 100 – reflect on the day that Britain joined the container revolution. It was personal. “It was like in the forces, when I was in the Royal Air Force. You were with a group that becomes family. It’s the same on the docks. You all worked together, looked after each other,” said Bill Gordon, who worked on the docks from 1961 to 1991. The modern concern for safety was a real eye-opener for him. As he says of the men who worked on the docks then, “We were a rough old lot in those days ... It was a tough job and you had to be [tough].” Of course, Felixstowe’s family is much bigger now and over 2,500 people work at the port, with many more supported by the port’s activities. Mr Cheng explains that Felixstowe has become, “A port that supports tens of thousands of jobs locally and adds hundreds of millions of pounds of value each year to the wider economy.” Many of those employees and their community have been celebrating the 50th anniversary – a quinquagenary – with company-supported family outings, including marching in the Felixstowe Carnival under the Port of Felixstowe banner. A jubilant dinner was held on the pre-container era cargo sailing ship, the tea clipper Cutty Sark , at the Royal Museums Greenwich, London. Civic leaders, foreign dignitaries and community supporters joined the celebration. Those celebrants can look to a future that will embrace modernity as much as Felixstowe did 50 years ago. Recently, modernisation has meant expansion on land together with deepening of the approach channel (through dredging) to make way for the next generation of mega vessels, carrying up to 21,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). Berths 8 & 9, the latest expansion, provide 920m of quay with 18m of depth alongside. Eco-rubber-tyred gantry cranes help make Berths 8 & 9 the lowest carbon container terminal in the UK. A doubling of capacity, through rail development and new rail-mounted gantry cranes in recent years greatly improves operational efficiency. More rail works to be completed in 2019 will allow up to 45 freight trains a day to run in both directions. While the port itself was founded in 1875, containerisation transformed its fortunes and has defined it for the past 50 years. Felixstowe continues to fully embrace technology to better serve its community, its nation and global trade. Then and Now: The Port of Felixstowe has grown in leaps in bounds from its first container-moving crane to the recent opening of Berths 8 & 9 to accommodate the world’s biggest container ships. 1967 1993 2017