Port Of London Authority: New shipping berths that allowed quick han-I dling and transshipment of containers (unbroken unit loads) and fast turnabout of container ships were being built at a rapid rate in 1967 and 1968. The Port of London Authority continued to develop a $48-million (£20-million) project at Tilbury, which consisted of seven deepwater berths and a 900-ft-long jetty (274 m) capable of handling large bulk cargo ships. At Liverpool, Eng., the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board was given the authority to construct a $2.4-million (£1-million) berth for container-type ships at Gladstone Dock, and a similar facility was being planned for Southampton, Eng. Container terminals were also either under construction or in the design stage for such ports as Baltimore, Md.; Elizabeth, N.J.; Antwerp, Belg.; and Rotterdam, Neth.
I have arrived at Belfast three times, once, long ago by the big ferry Princess Margaret, from Stranraer to Larne, and twice, recently, by plane and by ship. The plane trip was from London by British European Airways, a flight of less than two hours, and the one by ship was from Glasgow on the Royal Scotsman, a very fine and modern Burns and Laird steamer. This was an overnight run from one great shipbuilding port to another and it revealed, for an incredible distance on the Clyde, an almost unbroken stretch of docks, drydocks, giant cranes and assorted port installations.
Unlike New York, for example, it is the seat of government; unlike Moscow, it is a great port. It houses both a royal court and universities along with one of the greatest art galleries and one of the greatest museums in the world, which includes one of the greatest libraries. The daily newspapers with their multi-million circulations, which are read all over Britain, are edited in London. London is the place, therefore, where important people of all kinds meet to discuss important matters.
|
|
Photography
