loM-mainland container service gets under way
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by C. HYAMS rr HE only exclusively container service between the Isle of Man and the mainland commenced operations on Tuesday from Glasson Dock, at the mouth of the river Lune in Morecambe Bay.
The Isle of Man Ferry Express unit load service, it is operated jointly by Walter Edmundson Ltd., of Preston, and Ronaldsway Airport Agencies Ltd. (Ronagency), of Ballasalla, IoM.
Because of congestion at Preston Dock and tenancy difficulties, Edmundson had to look elsewhere to base its IoM service which started last year.
Now the boat will sail every Tuesday and Thursday from Glasson, discharging at Douglas on Wednesdays and Fridays and carrying an average of 17 containers a trip.
Butters derrick
A 20-ton Butters electric derrick and ample dockside space at Glasson enable Edmundson to operate ship-to-shore loading and eliminate load-shunting. A similar derrick is being installed in Castletown, IoM, to where the service will run in two months' time.
For its door-to-door service, Edmundson operates a 12-vehicle fleet of Atkinsons and Albions from modernized premises in Preston. They effect the Glasson collections and deliveries, but customers delivering their own traffic will find the port is only six to seven miles from M6 via the Lancaster road.
A link road is planned to pass even closer to Glasson.
Ronagency (which has two Ford vans and four Commer artics) and sub-contractors undertake the haulage on the island.
Multiple loads, made up in a warehouse built by Edmundson at Glasson, are charged on a tonnage basis. Complete containers are charged at a full container rate.
Lancashire Flats of 25ft and 20-ton containers will be used on the service, pallets being loaded by fork-lift trucks.
Director Mr. J. W. Edmundson said that the Lireco—on time charter—carries general cargo between the IoM and Northern Ireland on the other days of the week and negotiations are under way for further container services from Glasson, possibly to Northern Ireland.