15
« on: December 15, 2019, 03:24:03 PM »
Hello, and welcome to the area! As has been mentioned, Marine Traffic seems to have lost coverage of the upper Humber, so I am currently using two other apps - Ship Tracking, because it has a better voyage history (but still suffers the same problems with live positions), and Vessel Finder - which is poor in other ways but still shows accurate positions for ships within the Goole dock system. If you compare this with the movement logs on the ABP website, you will soon get to know where each of the berths in the docks are. Couple this with the origin or destination of the ship and you will soon have a good idea of the cargoes.
Firstly exports: the two main ones being scrap metal from West Dock North - either to Spain and Portugal, or higher graded aluminium scrap to Tornio in Finland. These ships usually stop at Blacktoft Jetty on the outward voyage because it is rarely possible to make the passage in one go on account of their deep draft. The other regular export is used caravans to Poland and Lithuania, loaded at West Dock South - these ships are obvious by their deck cargo.
Turning to imports - bricks are brought from Bornem (also called Wintham) to Aldam Dock East. The 4 shed covered steel terminal deals with, you've guessed it, steel from the Rhine, Dunkirk and also paper reels, which are currently mainly loaded in Gdynia. The gantry crane in Ship Dock is used to discharge timber cargoes from Arkhangel'sk and also steel cargoes - ships from Pasajes will normally be carrying steel sections. Another form of steel - wire rod in coils - is normally brought from Szczecin to West Dock North East Corner. Cement cargoes usually come from Aalborg and are obvious because of the specialist bulk cargo ships used. Once or twice a month, a coastal tanker appears, often bringing a part cargo of edible oils to the Kerfoot facility on Barge Dock (the berth known as Carrs Corner), having first called at Hull. Ships from Frederiksvaerk discharge steel at West Dock South East berth. Ships from Malaga or Motril are usually bringing limestone or marble chips. Other bulk cargoes handled are chemicals from Kokkola at Ouse Dock and agribulks from Eastern Europe at Caldaire Terminal, South Dock Terminal or West Dock south. Various grades of chipboard and fibreboard are brought, currently from Riga, Szczecin or Swinoujscie to these same berths.
Ships heading for the wharves at Howdendyke call at Blacktoft Jetty to change pilots and are normally loaded with so-called 'intermediates' for the fertilizer plant or cement for the former Daltrade storage facility if coming from Limerick.
As you will have no doubt found, it is easy to observe the activity in Goole from the A161 (Bridge Street) and from a public footpath which runs from the end of South Street, across the inner gates of Ocean Lock and across the Lowther Bridge, which straddles the channel betwwen Victoria Lock and the rest of the dock system.