Ideal conditions, experienced crew result in more than 47 moves per hour

A container crew working a Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) vessel at the Jacksonville Port Authority's Talleyrand terminal set a JAXPORT record recently, accomplishing an average of 47.19 moves per hour.

Under the direction of S.S.A Cooper, the I.L.A. team, anchored by crane operator Homer Wright, moved 269 containers in 5.7 hours, according to managers at the Hamburg S'd-managed terminal where the record was set. The record was achieved while the gang was unloading the MSC Malaga, which had sailed from the Bahamas. The average number of moves per hour at the Hamburg S'd-managed facility, annualized for 2006 was 36. Hamburg S'd manages terminal services for its own Latin American vessel fleet at the terminal, and provides similar third-party services to MSC vessels calling at the facility.

Hamburg S'd Operations Manager Jason Hodge and SSA Cooper Operations Manager Frank McBride said there were a number of favorable conditions which led to the unprecedented number of moves per hour, among them great terminal organization, well-planned stowage aboard the vessel and an experienced crane operator who worked the entire shift without being replaced.

'This was a team effort. We know it pays to have good plans, good stowage and good field personnel,' Hodge said. 'We strive to do this kind of work on every single vessel and this shows, given the right conditions, we can do it.'

Roy Schleicher, JAXPORT's Senior Director of Marketing said, 'It's great to see the I.L.A. labor is dedicated to the improvement of this port. It's an excellent example of what we do here that helps make JAXPORT an easy choice for shippers.'