J3678 : The "BG Ireland", Belfast (June 2015)

taken 9 years ago, 3 km from Holywood, Co Down, Northern Ireland

The "BG Ireland", Belfast (June 2015)
The "BG Ireland", Belfast (June 2015)
The containership “BG Ireland” LinkExternal link loading at the Victoria Terminal. The wooded area (background) is the Cavehill Country Park and the grounds of Belfast Castle LinkExternal link. The view is from this RSPB hide J3777 : Bird hide entrance, Belfast harbour (June 2015).
Shipping containers

The idea and creation of the modern shipping container can be credited to American businessman (and former trucking company owner) Malcolm McLean in 1955. Rather than wait days for ships to be loaded and unloaded he devised a simple system where goods could be packed into standardised, rugged containers - these could then be carried by road or rail but also loaded, locked and stacked securely on board ships for transport across the globe and easily unloaded at the other end. The system revolutionised modern transportation of goods, increasing efficiency, lowering costs but also costing thousands of jobs across ports around the world. Today around 90% of non-bulk cargo is carried via shipping containers. In the UK, enormous ships that can carry over 14,000 containers arrive into ports such as Felixstowe and Harwich or nearby Rotterdam. Containers are then unloaded and moved across the country by road, rail or onto smaller 'feeder' ships that can navigate other ports around the country. To understand more about the process see the BBC Box project at LinkExternal link which tracked the route of a shipping container across the globe or the excellent programme 'The Box that Changed Britain' - frequently repeated on BBC4 and thus available on the iPlayer at LinkExternal link .

Belfast Castle, estate and the Cavehill Country Park, Belfast :: J3278

Belfast Castle J3279 : Belfast Castle was built between 1868 and 1870 for the Marquis of Donegall. The practice of Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon were the architects but John Lanyon seems to have been the one who produced the design. It and the surrounding estate probably represent the swansong of the aristocracy in the face of the growth and ascendancy of the wealthy manufacturers, merchants and bankers emerging from expanding industrial Belfast. It was presented to the city in 1937.

The Cavehill Country Park adjoins the estate.

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J3678, 80 images   (more nearby search)
Photographer
Date Taken
Wednesday, 17 June, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 17 June, 2015
Geographical Context
Docks, Harbours 
Place (from Tags)
Belfast 
Primary Subject of Photo
Ship 
Subject Location
Irish: geotagged! J 366 780 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:37.9321N 5:53.0589W
Camera Location
Irish: geotagged! J 373 777
View Direction
West-northwest (about 292 degrees)
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Other Tags
Harbour  Belfast Harbour  Ship  Container Ship  Shipping Containers 

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