Ships and the Marine Environment - Roads and Rail Into Ports

Image supplied courtesy of Port of Melbourne Corporation.

The unloaded containers must be cleared by Customs and there must be no quarantine issues before the containers can be picked up and delivered to their next destination. Sometimes the containers may need to be loaded onto another ship but they are mostly picked up by railway wagons or trucks and semi-trailers.

Trains and trucks arrive at the port. The drivers are directed to the correct location. They consult a plan of the stored containers and locate the correct containers.

Forklifts remove the containers from the pile in the storage area and place them on the semi-trailer or railway wagon. The corners of the container can be locked down onto the rail wagon or truck.

They are then taken to warehouses where the cargo can be removed from the containers. The unpacked boxes can be taken to the final destination by smaller trucks, e.g. if the cargo is TVs or computers they will be taken to the shop where they will be sold.