By Maj. Marie Richter
First published in
SFOR Informer#122, September 19, 2001
At first light in Ploce the sound of a horn announced
the arrival of a cargo ship. Everyone was summoned to the port
to begin a very long day, loading the ship and ensuring everything
was battened down ready for it to continue on its journey.
Ploce
- Sept. 3 was the scheduled day for the German cargo ship to arrive
to take vehicles and empty containers back to Germany as part
of the ongoing logistical flow of supplies to and from the operational
theatre. In a previous meeting of French, Italian and German chiefs,
the responsibilities and orders had been finalised, so that on
the day everyone knew exactly what needed to be done and in what
order it needed to happen. On the day most people wore overalls.
The colour of the hard hats denoted the chiefs and workers from
the observers, so that the commands were taken from the right
person. The day would have to run like clockwork in order to load
the 30 containers, 30 vehicles and 19 trailers within the allotted
time. A final meeting briefed all the chiefs on the order of the
loading and the safety procedures for the day.
The
vehicles had been brought from Rajlovac over the previous weeks
and stored ready to load; the containers had been put in a storage
area ready to bring forward to the dockside when needed. Before
any loading could start the ship had to be prepared. The deck
plates of the upper and middle decks had to be lifted individually
by crane. Each piece weighing 25 tonnes was carefully lifted and
stacked so that the lower deck could be filled first. This was
the responsibility of the ship's own crew who knew exactly where
each piece should go. Everyone else stood clear.
German responsibility
Maj.
Jorg Botta from the German contingent briefed his team, and the
transit platoon ensured each vehicle was logged and checked before
loading. As soon as the stern door was open and the ramp laid
to the dockside, the German disinfectant team built a platform
of mats soaked in strong disinfectant. A team of soldiers wearing
protective clothing and respirators were armed with spray guns
ready to douse all the vehicle wheels before they entered the
cargo holding area. Once they were set up, the ambulances, trucks,
trailers, and minibuses were driven over the mats, sprayed, and
carefully guided inside the ship. They were slowly driven down
an internal ramp into the lower deck of the ship; space was tight
with only a few centimetres between vehicles so careful precise
driving was essential. Meanwhile, more vehicles were brought alongside
the ship to be loaded mid ship by crane. Careful positioning of
the vehicles in their correct order was necessary to ensure a
smooth lift into the ship.
French in overall control
The
French team from the BATALAT (Bataillon de l'aviation légère
de l'armée de terre, Army Aviation Battalion) formed the
port task platoon, and were co-ordinating the multi-national operation.
It was their responsibility to guide the vehicles onboard and
place in position to fill the space to maximum capacity. They
then lashed each vehicle down to prevent any damage to the cargo.
The soldiers clambered over and under vehicles to reach all of
them taking with them the chains they required. Once secure, the
metal middle deck pieces were then replaced by crane and it was
on to the next phase.
The
French chief working alongside the Germans ensured that each vehicle
to be lifted onboard was strapped securely. As the crane took
the weight, the load was guided by soldiers with ropes until it
cleared the side of the ship. It was then up to the crane operator
to place the vehicles safely inside. Everyone stood clear as one
after another the trucks and trailers disappeared into the hull
of the ship.
RELOCO
The
Italians from the Reparto Logistico Contingenza (RELOCO), the
logistic branch of the Italian contingent concentrated on the
containers. Under the supervision of Capt. Luisi, the men would
need all their concentration and driving skills for an efficient
operation. He spoke of the operation, "This is new for us,
it is the first time we have seen this kind of ship. The process
is slower due to the design of the ship so we have to work longer
hours in order for the ship to be loaded on time." Their
responsibility was to load the containers in the storage area
onto the toploaders trucks, and deliver them to the dockside.
Although
the trucks are capable of loading the containers from the ground
independently, this time they used a container- lifting vehicle
to ensure speedy flow of the containers to the docks. The drivers
went to and from one area to the next to keep the supply of containers
needed at the dockside. At all times, radio contact was maintained
between the different teams. There the forklift trucks placed
them on the ground in just the right place for the crane. As nightfall
beckoned, the trucks continued, determined to finish before the
day was out. Eventually the final container was loaded; the whole
cargo checked by the Supercargo (cargo supervisor) and the final
all clear given for the storage and safety. The whole team had
worked hard to maximum efficiency, which meant a lesser bill for
the German ship, which was charged for by the hour for use of
the docks. The ship sailed away into the night, heading for Crete,
its last port of call before returning to Germany. The soldiers
packed up and returned for a special Italian late night supper
of pasta and a barbecue, tired but pleased with a very long day's
work.
Related links:
Nations of SFOR: France,
Germany, Italy
SFOR at Work