Stevedoring Services could be forced to cut nearly 25 percent of its staff because there is not enough space to continue stripping containers at Hamilton Dock.

Bruce Lines, president of the company, said that space at the docks had nearly reached critical point last summer which could force them to cut services such as stripping containers to allow more room - and this would mean a large reduction in staff.

Mr. Lines said that in anywhere between six months and three years the company could be forced to move stripping of mixed containers to some kind of bonded warehouse away from the main docks.

“Stripping containers is not a a profitable part of our business,” said Mr. Lines. “We don't lose money on it, but it is not a big earner.”

And he said that stripping, which is done when multiple orders are contained in one container before being put through Customs at the dock, was very labour intensive.

He said: “When that day comes we will have to reduce the workforce. And I don't look forward to being the architect of that.”

Mr. Lines said a form of bonded warehouse would have to be found or built where the stripping and Customs could be done for the multiple smaller loads. And he warned that if this took place too far away from the docks, it could lead to traffic congestion with trucks hauling containers rolling through town and across the Island.

“Our biggest problem is stripping containers,” said Mr. Lines. “In the summer our volume was up and we ran out of space in the sheds, so we ended up with containers coming in and we could not empty them for two weeks.

“(When it is busy) it is not the staffing levels, but the stripping of the containers that takes the time.”

Mr. Lines said that at the moment the company had 86 staff, including management, and would lose about 20 people if the stripping was moved away from their docks.

“It has to happen. The volume of containers will be so great we will need the space just to handle the full containers. Last year we came pretty close to capacity,” he said.

But Mr. Lines said any decision about moving the stripping of containers would be for the Corporation of Hamilton to take.

The Corporation owns the site and gives Stevedoring Services its licence to operate the docks.

“It could be six months down the line or say two to three years down the line,” said Mr. Lines when asked when this would happen. “We have got 61 unionised staff and a total of 86 (including management), but I would suspect we would need to let go at least 20.”

And he said that talk about moving the docks may solve the problem of space, but each proposed site would throw up problems of its own, with any North Shore site causing problems with winter storms and sea salt spray affecting machinery.

“The problems is that with any winds over 30 miles per hour, and we have to stop,” he said.

“Here (in Hamilton) we are sheltered by the buildings from the northwest winds. And we are sheltered from the salt spray which leads to maintenance problems.”

He said that the proposals for Morgan's Point had the problem of only one road and anywhere in St. David's or St. George's threw up problems with distance from Hamilton and the Causeway.

“I am not poo-pooing these ideas, but they do throw up problems,” he said. “Most of the freight goes within one mile of the port at the moment, so any move would lead to transport problems.”

He also said that volume at the docks has increased by at least six percent in the last year, partly due recently to hurricane repairs.

“Things are going to change and the docks moved, maybe not while I am here, but they are going to have to change.”

Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess said Mr. Lines should be talking to the union organiser, Chris Furbert, and the executive of the dock division about the situation before talking to the media.

“If they relocated stripping people normally move with the work, that is what really should happen. Ultimately he should be talking to our people.”