Since that time, the union representing B.C. Photo by Jason Payne/PostmediaĪfter three years of legal wrangling, a federal court judge ultimately agreed with the inspectors on the dangers of tarps in 2008, prompting the Transport Ministry to fund research into safe ways to load grain in the rain. This year’s harvest has become one of the most crucial crops this country has produced in recent memory, as food inflation reaches punishing levels and food security concerns arise around the world. In doing so, they risked slipping on wet metal and falling 10 to 20 feet into the ship’s hold.Ī cargo ship is loaded with grain in Vancouver. Rain pooled on the tarps and the stevedores had to climb onto the hatch covers to pull off the tarps without spilling water onto the cargo. On rainy days, stevedores drape tarps over the holds to keep the grain dry, at least they did until 2005, when Transport Canada inspectors determined it was unsafe. On clear days, the ship opens its hatches and a port’s grain terminal shoots the grain directly into the yawning cargo holds. It sits in the holds of massive cargo ships for weeks at a time, en route to Asia, Africa or Europe, and it rots at sea if it is wet when it starts the voyage. There is a long and a short answer for how we got here. ![]() ![]() “We’ve been talking about this for a long, long time and nothing ever seems to get done.” “In the end, you just don’t load,” Heimbecker said. Grain companies and stevedoring firms that operate at the port have spent millions on training and equipment to safely load grain ships in inclement weather. Yet they’re still trying after more than 15 years. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
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