Mersy shipping

[wsteve55]

Hi to all you present,and former seamen,
here's a link you might be interested in,if you are interested in the Mersey's comings, and goings!

http://www.aisliverpool.org.uk/passing.php

[scouse smurf]

The traffic map on that site is cool too

[captain kong]

Hi wssteve55,
very interesting table of movements there.
I would love to have one of the shipping movements in 1959. to compare the difference in shipping. Most of those ships were short sea trips, IoM, Ireland and so on.
Very, very few were going to foreign countries. None to the Cape, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Canada, USA, Montreal, New York ,West Indies, China Coast, Japan, Philipines, Indonesia. India, East and West Africa and all the rest of the world we always traded with. How sad.
Where has all the trade gone.? Since we went into Europe Britain has sunk with the rest of our Merchant Fleet.
Thanks for that Steve, very interesting to see what we have come down to, a few ferries and a couple of dredgers.
I am away to open another bottle of whisky.
Cheers.

[Waterways]

There is still a lot of overseas "tonnage" leaving and entering Liverpool. The problem is that it is mainly very large ships, so shipping movements are fewer than 50 years ago. There is oil, gas, mineral oils, edible oils, bulk carriers, container ships, etc, that regularly come and go. It is cheaper to transport per ton using larger vessels.

[brian daley]

As Cap'n Kong wrote, it is rather depressing to see what has happened to shippiong in Liverpool,in the world really. Those vast floating warehouses are doing the business, and very efficiently too, but there is no romance, I would never man one of those vessels. I was'nt too keen on tankers because they never spent too long in port and there were no quiet deck spaces where one could sunbathe and relax . Kong,we are like the dinosaurs,our age is past and will never come again. We Jack the lads will not desport ourselves in somedockside bagshanty, the mam'selles and frauleins ,the doe eyed maidens in those Asian ports ,are gone . We have the memories of our experiences and sometimes get to swapping yarns of how things use to be. Nevermore will we roam down Lime Street setting out on the rantan,we are the past,but ,boy oh boy ,what a past it was!!!
BrianD

[captain kong]

We were the last of the Seafarers,
The young lads of today can never experience the lives we had,
The world has changed and for the worse.
The world will not see the likes of us again.
Sayanara, good life.

[wsteve55]

There is still a lot of overseas "tonnage" leaving and entering Liverpool. The problem is that it is mainly very large ships, so shipping movements are fewer than 50 years ago. There is oil, gas, mineral oils, edible oils, bulk carriers, container ships, etc, that regularly come and go. It is cheaper to transport per ton using larger vessels.

Well,that's definitely true,as record tonnages have been recorded in the last couple of years! But no wonder all the dock rd. pub's have closed,those ships are in,and out,in 12 hours,so you wouldn't have time to get started!

[Ron Ham]

And not even time for a romantic interlude either !

[kevin]

Well,that's definitely true,as record tonnages have been recorded in the last couple of years! But no wonder all the dock rd. pub's have closed,those ships are in,and out,in 12 hours,so you wouldn't have time to get started!

But it's also about the reduced level of staffing.
In Harrison Line each container ship replaced about 4 general cargo boats. Those boats would have a total ships complement of between 35 and 40 - so about 150 crew in total. Replaced with a container ship with about 34 crew. So over 100 jobs lost for each box boat launched.
It was the way it had to be, but sad nevertheless.

[gregs dad]

Regarding pub closures there are a few factors. Years ago dockers lived in the vicinity and would have a drink on the way home,also as they became more wealthy they bought cars and so couldn`t drink and drive.
I remember as a young boy families would send somebody to meet their dads and grandads on pay day to get the housekeeping money before it was drunk in the pub.