Mid-stream operation is the operation of loading and unloading
cargo containers at the
container ship
A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
while at sea, with
barge
A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...
s or dumb steel
lighters performing the transfer,
distribution Distribution may refer to:
Mathematics
*Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations
*Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...
or landing of containers to
pier
A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
s nearby.
Although mid-stream operation has the significant advantage of low costs, it has been criticized for its dangerous operation where cargoes are transferred between two ships on sea, which make it very difficult to operate.
Hong Kong operations
Mid-stream operation has been abandoned almost everywhere except
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, where land is insufficient and the fees for using the container pier are quite high. In Hong Kong, mid-stream operations occur at 12 different locations occupying a total land area of 34.6 hectares and water frontage of 3,513 metres.
Operators include:
* Fat Kee Stevedores Ltd.
* Tai Wah Sea/Land Heavy Transportation Ltd.
* Transward Ltd.
See also
*
Ship-to-ship cargo transfer
*
Underway replenishment
Underway replenishment (UNREP) (United States Navy, U.S. Navy) or replenishment at sea (RAS) (North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Commonwealth of Nations) is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while unde ...
*
Port of Hong Kong
The Port of Hong Kong located by the South China Sea, is a deepwater seaport dominated by trade in containerisation, containerised manufactured products, and to a lesser extent raw materials and passengers. A key factor in the economic devel ...
*
Stevedore
A dockworker (also called a longshoreman, stevedore, docker, wharfman, lumper or wharfie) is a waterfront manual laborer who loads and unloads ships.
As a result of the intermodal shipping container revolution, the required number of dockwork ...
External links
Mid-stream operation in Hong Kong
Freight transport
Transport in Hong Kong
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