Waterside Workers

Waterside Workers transfer cargo between ships and other forms of transport or storage facilities.

What the job involves

• Receiving instructions by radio telephone and/or radio data terminal to load, unload or move cargo

• Securing and releasing mooring lines of ships

• Opening and closing ship hatches

• Transferring loads using moving equipment and directing equipment operations using communication systems

• Stacking cargo on pallets, trays, flats and slings to facilitate transfer to and from ships

• Operating heavy vehicles and machinery, such as straddle carriers, fork-lifts and ships' cranes, to load and unload cargo from trucks, ships and rail transport services

• Sorting cargo before loading and unloading

• Labelling goods with customers' details and destinations

• Loading goods into trucks, containers and rail wagons, and securing loads

• Assisting to tie down loads and covering them with tarpaulins

• Guiding truck drivers into loading bays and through confined spaces

• Performing clerical functions to record and check cargo on arrival, storage and dispatch

• Positioning goods in the holds of ships and securing cargo to prevent shifting during voyages

• Packing containers and re-packing damaged containers

• Cleaning out ships' tanks and holds

• Washing out containers and carrying out other general yard duties such as shunting on the railway

• Arranging for damaged containers of hazardous material to be quarantined

• Carrying out safety checks