A Boat Load

[Llenya]

Do you remember the days when a large consignment of 'anything´was described as a "Boat Load" ?

 

Now everything seems to be based on ´Containers´.

 

What I want to know, from your collective experiences, or contacts, is ... are there any ports around the UK still willing to take in boat loads by small ship of hardwood logs, (either Green or Seasoned, or perhaps kiln dried), in loose form where the cargo can be landed and unloaded by reputable staff?

 

I am in Northern Spain (Barcelona), I´m a retired ex-pat, part of a 2 man team gearing up to produce quality firewood - Oak & Beech - to our customer´s requirements ---length, moisture content and packaging.

 

We identify that transport is our main logistical problem and whilst we are able to produce a high quality processed firewood product, we naturally wish to cut transportation costs in order to interest UK and Irish buyers. We believe that a "Boat-Load" is much better than a Container!

 

Miquel and me, Stephen, work very long days because we love it and we recognise the future in this business. We would like to set up a relationship with a serious guy in the UK and Ireland who can help with the shipping.

 

We are NOT a big Conglamorate seeking to wipe your eye!

We are two people who have worked very hard, in the last two years, to gain permission to thin over 1500 Hectares of Oak & Beech forests. Each owner is only permitted to thin "so-much" per hectare per month to comply with the EU Forest Renewable Leglisation, and so we move from place to place thinning a few hectares by different owners, at a time. Everything we do complies with the proper EU Forest Management Program.

 

As the trees are standing at the moment, we cannot accommodate dry wood for this year. We will continue to deal with the many forest owners in these mountains with a hope of gaining the best prices. (You will note that if they think we are exporting, then they will raise their prices.) We are asking that you project your next years requirements and perhaps we can land a ship or two in the coming months for you to sell next winter in the UK or Ireland.

 

If you have any experience of Ship arrival and handling in UK & Ireland, I would like to hear from you.

 

 

 

Best Regards

 

Stephen McDaid [in Irish it means “Son of David” --- In English it means “Davidson” In Welsh I really don´t know what the hell it means!]

Barcelona Mountains

[ArthurBottlesworth]

I have been looking at this

Not because I want to do it but because the business as a business interests me

i don't want to buy logs

 

But have a look at this

 

Firewood-Firewood Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters on Alibaba.comWood Pellets

[woodrich]

Yes there are still Ports that unload regular cargo ships.

Someone will put me right here

I think Teignmouth in Devon (my favourite).

I live as far away from the coast as you can get so don't take my word as Gospel.

That is another old saying you rarely hear nowadays

Rich

 

Edit

http://www.abports.co.uk/Home/

[Pumpy]

Look for a company registered as a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) and speak to them about your ideas, they'll know the full SP (another saying you don't hear much )

 

I suspect loose loads of logs means you'd be shipping a lot of fresh air between them, inceasing costs. I also doubt there will be many ports geared up for this sort of load handling, think about the logistics for the carrier, how many bulk tipper waggon loads of logs would need to be tipped to fill a ship, how would they dry store it at the port, and how would the load be transferred to the ship and off it again, stored again and then wagons loaded?

 

For these reasons (and others) I think you'll find the reasons why imported logs are usually close stacked, and crated up in containers.

[Climbingmagnus]

I'd be surprised if it wasn't better to use shipping containers. They're popular for a reason. You load the container, it goes on a truck in 2 mins, off to the port, straight onto a boat, onto a truck again then unload at the final destination. The alternative is load a truck with logs, unload the truck at the port, crane loose loads of logs onto the boat with a grapple, lash them down, unload them again with a crane at the other end, load them loose onto a truck. Very labour and time intensive.

 

See the picture here:

Sidelifter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Logsnstuff]

ship it in the round on barges plenty places shipping out pulp so no reason they cant bring timber into them. I prefer to process my own logs that way I know what timber is going in. We looked at shipping from France but couldn't get the numbers to work.

[muldonach]

Do you remember the days when a large consignment of 'anything´was described as a "Boat Load" ?

 

Now everything seems to be based on ´Containers´.

 

What I want to know, from your collective experiences, or contacts, is ... are there any ports around the UK still willing to take in boat loads by small ship of hardwood logs, (either Green or Seasoned, or perhaps kiln dried), in loose form where the cargo can be landed and unloaded by reputable staff?

 

I am in Northern Spain (Barcelona), I´m a retired ex-pat, part of a 2 man team gearing up to produce quality firewood - Oak & Beech - to our customer´s requirements ---length, moisture content and packaging.

 

We identify that transport is our main logistical problem and whilst we are able to produce a high quality processed firewood product, we naturally wish to cut transportation costs in order to interest UK and Irish buyers. We believe that a "Boat-Load" is much better than a Container!

 

Miquel and me, Stephen, work very long days because we love it and we recognise the future in this business. We would like to set up a relationship with a serious guy in the UK and Ireland who can help with the shipping.

 

We are NOT a big Conglamorate seeking to wipe your eye!

We are two people who have worked very hard, in the last two years, to gain permission to thin over 1500 Hectares of Oak & Beech forests. Each owner is only permitted to thin "so-much" per hectare per month to comply with the EU Forest Renewable Leglisation, and so we move from place to place thinning a few hectares by different owners, at a time. Everything we do complies with the proper EU Forest Management Program.

 

As the trees are standing at the moment, we cannot accommodate dry wood for this year. We will continue to deal with the many forest owners in these mountains with a hope of gaining the best prices. (You will note that if they think we are exporting, then they will raise their prices.) We are asking that you project your next years requirements and perhaps we can land a ship or two in the coming months for you to sell next winter in the UK or Ireland.

 

If you have any experience of Ship arrival and handling in UK & Ireland, I would like to hear from you.

 

 

 

Best Regards

 

Stephen McDaid [in Irish it means “Son of David” --- In English it means “Davidson” In Welsh I really don´t know what the hell it means!]

Barcelona Mountains

 

 

There are any number of ports in the UK or ROI that will accept a bulk shipment of roundwood. In order to handle it efficiently you may need to hire in specialist equiment - normally a long reach wheel based excavator fitted with rotator and grapple.

 

Such equipment is not difficult to locate and hire, and most logistics operators round ports will be able to source such kit.

 

You (or your consignee) will also need to arrange onward transport and/or storage of the cargo, most ports will have plenty of laydown area available and some will be able to put the cargo under cover if necessary. However temporary storage and handling on to wagons for transhipment will be another cost in the equation.

 

When you say a boat load you do realise that you are talking about a consignment between 1000-3000 tonnes? I would think that the main difficulty you will face (apart from finding a customer willing to deal in such quantities) will actually be in consolidating and storing the cargo at or near the loading port. You will need the entire cargo to be available before the vessel docks, either within reach or close to the loading equipment. If the vessel is delayed through non availability of cargo things get expensive real quick, similarly if the vessel is delayed and you are left with kit / labout on hire standing by then you are exposed

 

While bulk shipping is inherently more economical than individual containers you are also significantly increasing the factors you need to control and hence the financial risk involved.

 

Further, assuming you take care to maximise the space or lift capability utilisation of a container I would be surprised if the cost per tonne for delivered firewood would be significantly different, but perhaps you have already researched the point?

 

Mind you given the apparent demand for and shortage of hardwood cord you may have an idea worthy of development, it looks like there is a market there if you can locate someone willing to take a punt in the UK.

 

I suggest you need to work up some figures and come up with a cost per tonne on the dockside in the UK. Your potential customers can then look at onward transportation to thier premises.

 

From Barcelona you should initially look at shipping to the English West coast - Mostyn used to import sawn timber regularly from Portugal and Avonmouth was if I remember correctly regulary used for West African logs, however I suspect that you would be better focusing on smaller ports with less pressure on berth space and maybe more negotiable as regards storage time etc. As stated above there are plenty of ports - you need to find a focal point with reasonable communications to maximise your customer base and minimise haulage

 

 

 

Regards

Mac

Edited February 5, 2014 by muldonach
Add some more info

[muldonach]

ship it in the round on barges plenty places shipping out pulp so no reason they cant bring timber into them. I prefer to process my own logs that way I know what timber is going in. We looked at shipping from France but couldn't get the numbers to work.

 

It would be a brave person indeed that put a cargo of roundwood on a barge in Barcelona for towage to the UK.

 

Barges are intended for use in inland and sheltered wateways, which Biscay and the Western Approaches are not.

 

Cheers

Mac

[woodpile]

Great idea but...

Containers would be the way to go. I was a docker for over ten years, general cargo/loose loads are more or less dead and gone. It's a hyper competitive market...

Sorry to rain on your parade and I wish you all the very best.

[Climbingmagnus]

I used to work opposite the bulk and container port in Southampton and for quite a while they were standing containers on their ends and filling them with chopped up scrap metal. The economics of that set up is a bit skewed I'll admit due to the number of otherwise empty containers that have to go back East but I suppose it illustrates Woodpile's comment about everything going in containers now.