Before a ship enters port a shipping company will make preparations for it’s loading, unloading and any supplies the vessel will require. Often they employ a ship’s agent to make all these necessary arrangements, because captains of visiting ships may not be familiar with local practices. The agent and their staff will be well aware of local facilities and practices. They have the skills to ensure that the ship is handled and gets on its way as quickly as possible.

Mooring gang at work

A Mooring Gang would be booked with 2 hours notice from a private company. They are employed by the port to tie the vessel to quayside and secure the gangway. Under marine law a ship is not in port until the gangway is in position. Technically if a Stevedore boards the ship before the gangway is lowered this can be considered an act of piracy.

Thumbnail Taxis approach the Queen Elizabeth, moored alongside at Eastern Dock. [10104]

Supplies for a liner

Ships need all sorts of stores, from food for the crew to new mooring ropes, from paint to new anchors. A business that stocks and supplies these specialist items is called a ship’s chandler. These supplies are often requested at short notice and brought to the ship whilst in dock. They will try to source any supply requirements a vessel might have.

Thumbnail Workers inspect casks in warehouse [10120]

Porters inspect casks

Porters are employed to handle cargo on the dockside; they never go on a ship. They bring the cargo from warehouses and sheds for Stevedores to then load onto the vessel. They also have tasks such as counting, sorting, and weighing items. They also pack them into canal boats, barges, rail wagons or trucks.

Thumbnail Scene in Royal Victoria Dock [20209]

View of Albert Docks

Stevedores fill and empty ships. They work in the hold of a ship, to stow the cargo. Also referred to as stevedores are those who work on deck, lowering or raising the cargo from the hold, and move it between ship and shore. Stevedores are regarded as the most skilled of dockers and their work is probably the most hazardous.

Thumbnail Tug Boats: Eastern Docks [4068]

Tugs at work

Tugs are booked with 12 hours notice of a cargo ships departure, for a liner with a fast turnaround time and a reputation built on tight schedules they will have been booked months in advance. When the ship is ready to depart, tug drivers will help to manoeuvre and ease the vessel out of port, guided if necessary by a pilot.

Pilots at work

Pilots are qualified navigators who are taken on board a ship, usually at the entrance to a port or river. They then use their local knowledge to sail the vessel into and out of port. Often stretches of inland water can have many hazards and a ship's master often visits too many ports to learn how to navigate them all. If a particular port is regularly visited the captain can study for a Pilotage Exemption Certificate to allow him to pilot the vessel alone. Although this is worth additional pay to a captain many chose instead to defer to the skills of a Pilot than take on the additional risks and responsibility.

Supplying the liner

Preparation in port

Loading cargo

Preparing for a modern liner