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CONTAINER TRAFFIC
This method of transporting cargoes continued to expand during 1970.
Despite the dock strike which lasted for three weeks during the summer, the number of
imported containers increased by 50 per cent, from 45,840 to nearly 70,000.
Although at the beginning of the year it had been hoped that the labour difficulties being
experienced at the new 39 Berth Container Terminal would be speedily resolved and allow it
to become operational, a settlement was not reached until May and the berth received its first
ship from Australia, S.S. "ENCOUNTER BAY" on the 1st June.
In the remaining 7 months of the year, 21 vessels in this consortium arrived at Tilbury to
discharge and load and in that period container imports over 39 Berth exceeded a quarter of a
million tons.
This particular container service from Australian ports to Tilbury añd the Continent commenced
operations with nine vessels, eight registered in the United Kingdom and one in Australia and
these were joined later in the year by two ships registered in Germany. During 1971 three further
vessels, one each from France, Holland and Italy are expected to be engaged in this trade which
eventually will give a service allowing for an arrival to Tilbury every five days.
The Continental container berth No. 43 continued to flourish throughout the year. When 39
berth became operational the need for transhipping containers through this berth was no longer
required and a fairly quiet period followed the loss of this trade, but a gradual build up of both
old and new services took place and by the end of the year, each week, on average, seventeen
smaller container ships were being handled.
Regular services were operating to Rotterdam, Dunkirk, Antwerp, Hamburg, Rostock, Helsinki
and Leningrad.
Tilbury Container Terminal.
In the middle of October, to relieve the pressure on 43 berth, the berth adjacent, No. 41, was
developed, and by the end of the year the two berths were being operated as one unit to handle
the very large number of containers being received for the various trades.
At the end of 1970, a shipping company previously operating a weekly container service to
Canada from 40 Berth transferred operations to 41 Berth, to alleviate the position on the U.S.
Line Terminal which also continued to expand.
In 1969 this U.S. Line Terminal handled 109 vessels, in 1970 this number had risen to 162,
approximately two thirds of these being ocean traders and the balance being small container
ships trading to Spain, Portugal and Finland.
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