London Berth Almost Ready

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31381, 29 May 1967, Page 3

London Berth Almost Ready

(From the London correspondent of "The Press") LONDON, May 28. Port of London Authority engineers are confident that the computercontrolled meat unloading berth at the Royal Victoria Docks will be completed in a few days and ready for a test run in the middle of next month.

The mechanised berth cost about £750,000. Indications are that it will be ready to handle new season’s New Zealand meat as envisaged by the Molyneux Report on the future of New Zealand shipping. The berth works as a reverse system to the allweather loader at Bluff but also has a sophisticated electronic system for sorting meat as it is unloaded. The Blue Star and the Shaw Savill Lines supported the building of the berth but it will probably be available to the other two lines bringing meat from New Zealand.

The authority expects to hand the berth over for commissioning in July to the Thames Stevedoring Company. Negotiations with unions on new labour agreements are well in hand.

Already 20 automatic tally clerks and 42 control room, transport office and delivery office staff have been trained by E.M.1., which is providing the three computers and the electronic equipment. Today the Ulster Star was at the mechanised berth and trials were in progress with one of the completed mechanical elevators inside a hold.

Inside one of the conveyor systems engineers were making tests with dummy cartons.