Is the Gigantic Overseas Autoliner the Future of Transportation?

The documentary “Gigantic Overseas Autoliner | Mega Transports |” documents the journey of the Trapper, the world’s largest automobile transporter. The ship has a cargo area of over 71,000 square meters and can carry up to 8,500 cars.

The journey starts from the port of Antwerp in Belgium, one of Europe’s most important transfer sites for new vehicles, and covers 28,000 kilometers, passing through Germany, England, France, Spain, the US, Jamaica, Panama, and finally, New Zealand and Australia. All of this is done in just 50 days.

The port captain, Pere Henningsen, is responsible for the planning of this mammoth task. He has just 16 hours to board 1,000 cars for the secure loading process.

Before anything is put on the ship, the massive cargo has to be cleared from the parking lot. A job for twenty on-site port workers known as stevedores who pick up each and every one of the thousand cars.

Each vehicle is assigned a specific parking spot, but to do that is anything but simple. The Trapper has 14 cargo decks which are configured into loading zones by the port captain.

Each zone represents a port at which the ship will load and unload vehicles. The concept is that the farther the destination port, the farther back the loading zone. This sounds logical enough, but there is one small problem: Pere has to maximize the use of the area while at the same time making sure the loading zones are freely accessible.

Otherwise, with last-minute changes to the plan, there’s a risk of the worst-case scenario, which would involve three parking hundreds of cars in a confined space.

The person responsible for making sure that cars get to their assigned spots is Foreman Dimitri Golemon. He checks the cars in for Port Kembla in Australia and Auckland in New Zealand. It’s extremely important here to have non-stop contact with his head planner.

Most of the cars are brand new from the factory. Dimitri’s job is a permanent balancing act between speed and precision. Despite the time pressure and the limited space in the zones, the potential dents are not his biggest worry. He is more concerned about someone getting hurt or getting in the way.

The lashing crew secures every car with special straps. They attach the straps to lashing hooks or car rims at the front and back of the car and two holes in the deck.

This is designed to keep the valuable freight from rocking during the ocean passage and, in the worst case, coming loose to create a floating motorway pileup. More than half the allotted time has now passed, and the first two decks are filling up, but a bit too much according to the plan from Port Captain Pere.

There is a last-minute order for delivery to Port Kembla, Australia, but the loading zone for that is already full, and the cargo for Auckland, New Zealand, is ready to be parked. Pere has to improvise while keeping one eye on the clock.

In conclusion, the documentary provides an interesting insight into the process of loading and transporting thousands of cars across the world’s oceans.

The enormity of the task and the coordination required between various individuals and teams is staggering. It’s fascinating to see how the port workers and the lashing crew work together to ensure the safe and secure loading of the cargo.

Overall, the Trapper is an impressive ship, and the journey is an impressive feat of engineering and logistics.

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