Ship Stevedoring

Choose the best ship stevedoring for your business
By Kristina Seleshanko Ship stevedoring literary means "loading the ships," but modern stevedore handling includes warehousing, too. Loading, unloading and storing ship cargo requires experience and knowledge about loading equipment, safety conditions, appropriate storage techniques and handling hazardous materials.

When choosing a stevedore agency, seek a company that can best handle the sort of cargo you're dealing in. For example, if you're shipping tropical fruit, you'll want stevedoring and warehousing that's appropriately refrigerated. But in a more basic sense, you must base the ship stevedoring you choose largely on location. In general, your choices are to:

1. Select stevedoring and warehousing services in the East,

2. Choose stevedoring services in the West,

3. Or pick stevedore handling in the South.

Select stevedore services in the East

There are many stevedoring services to choose from along the East Coast, servicing ports from Maine to Florida. Many tend to specialize in certain types of cargo, and a some even offer worldwide services to their clients.
Try:  American Stevedoring provides full stevedoring service for container, bulk and neo-bulk products from the Port of New York/New Jersey; at ASI's website, click on the "About ASI" link in the left-hand menu to learn more. Ports America has locations all over the United States and abroad, including in Boston, New York, Jersey City, Norfolk, Wilmington, Charleston and Savannah. JH Stevedoring provides modern stevedoring services on the East Coast.

Choose stevedore companies in the West

There are nearly as many stevedore service companies in the West as there are in the East. Many specialize in handling food--especially seafood. And while some offer limited, regional services, many provide worldwide services, as well.
Try:  Jones Stevedoring Company offers stevedoring service in Washington, Oregon and California; to learn more, click on the location of your choice from the left-hand menu of the company's website. Metropolitan Stevedore Company offers a variety of services on the West coast, including bulk handling, break bulk, fruit and other special cargo. Pacific Stevedoring is located in Alaska and works heavily with food cargo.

Pick stevedoring services in the South

Most stevedore companies with worldwide services have operations in the Pacific Southwest. There are also some smaller companies, often providing specialized services, that focus entirely on the Pacific Southwest.
Try:  SSA Marine can handle stevedoring in the Pacific Southwest, Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic, the Gulf, Mexico, Panama and Chile. Shippers Stevedoring Company offers services out of the Port of Houston. Schaefer Stevedoring & Gulf Facilities services the Ports of Brownsville (Texas) and Tampico and Veracruz (Mexico), handling most cargo types.

• Some ports have stevedoring companies directly affiliated with them, and this can make your job easier. To see if your port has this option, call the port for stevedoring information, or check the port's website.