In cargo handling, the world of shipping moves fast. It’s a 24-hour, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year industry. In Scotland, commercial shipping revolves around a number of industries that keep the economy moving. There’s the bulk cargo imports and exports that bring goods in, around and out of the country, and crucially along the east coast there’s the North Sea energy sector.
Whyte Cargo supports these industries at ports across Scotland, including Peterhead, Aberdeen and Montrose. At each port we deliver responsive cargo handling services, every day of the year. But why exactly is a fast response so crucial? In this blog we’ll go over some reasons why speed is important, and why a single delayed response can have widespread consequences.
Why Fast Response is Critical in Cargo Handling
Coastal ports like Montrose Port are heavily driven by the tides. The movement of the sea dictates when vessels can enter and exit the port, resulting in strict timeframes in which cargo needs to get unloaded and loaded onto the ships. If a vessel misses its timeframe for the tide, even if this is only by a matter of minutes, they can be delayed for 12 hours, or in some instances even worse, 24.
What can a vessel do during these hours? The answer is generally just sit and wait – hours of a job wasted, personnel underutilised, and as we’ll soon discuss, mounting costs.
The Cost of Delays in Shipping and Energy
Vessels in the North Sea energy sector can have day rates of up to £300,000. That means that each day these vessels are in operation it costs a baseline in the hundreds of thousands. If a vessel is delayed in getting out of a port due to slow response cargo handling times, it will be sitting in port, and you can imagine how much money is being lost. And it’s not just about money – the figure in part represents the cost of personnel and fuel – two precious resources that will also be used inefficiently during a delay.
The Domino Effect Across the Supply Chain
A delay in cargo handling at one port has a knock-on effect with stakeholders throughout the industry. From the shipping agent to the warehouse, and ultimately the end customer, the effect of a missed cargo handling job has repercussions far beyond the port itself. A reliable and responsive cargo handler isn’t just needed to keep one port working smoothly – it’s needed to ensure that everything down the line keeps ticking over too.
Powering Scotland’s Energy Industry
On Scotland’s East Coast the energy industry powers the activity around ports and port towns. For example, in Montrose the Seagreen and Inch Cape wind farms have provided dozens of jobs and economic opportunities for local people. And these wind farms? They’re served by responsive, fast cargo handling. From loading crew transfer vessels to helping mooring suppliers transport thousands of tonnes of chain and anchor, fast, reliable cargo handling doesn’t just keep vessels on schedule, it drives forward industries that are fueling economic growth in Scotland.
Reliable Cargo Handling Services in Scotland
Whyte Cargo has been a reliable partner to business at Scotland’s ports for more than 40 years. Able to mobilise in less than 30 minutes, we’re here to support the shipping industry with cargo handling, crane and plant machinery hire and expert quayside support from our skilled team.
Get in touch with us to see how we can support your quayside operations.
