The Corporation of Hamilton has made no decisions yet regarding the future of Number Seven Shed, Wharf Committee Chairman Jay Bluck has said.

The process of tearing down Number Eight Shed, however, remains on schedule for completion by April 1.

The Corporation made the decision to close the sheds, used for stripping containers, last year after they were deemed dangerous due to overcrowding on the strained docks.

?The amount of cargo has increased by ten percent every year since 2000,? Mr. Bluck repeated on Friday.

The Corporation did not provide an alternative for freighters, who said they are now being saddled with finding and paying for a new site ? a cost which, it is presumed, will eventually be passed on to the consumer.

Though freighters had suggested compromise during months of talks of keeping both sheds in place this year and finding a permanent solution for next year, the announcement that Number Eight Shed would be torn down was made at the end of January.

?It was just too dangerous (to leave things as they were),? Mr. Bluck said yesterday.

That decision was met with outcry from non-vessel operators (NVOs) and small businesses who tend to import less-than-container-loads (LCLs), sharing containers with others.

The Corporation ?put the cart before the horse? by closing Number Eight Shed before NVOs and businesses had time to set up an alternative stripping site, BEST president David Sousa said yesterday.

An alternative stripping site run by the NVOs instead of the Corporation of Hamilton would involve buying/renting warehouse space, hiring workers to strip the containers, and working out a system with Customs whereby the containers could be taken off the docks before being stripped.

The Corporation of Hamilton has made no decisions yet regarding the future of Number Seven Shed, Wharf Committee Chairman Jay Bluck has said.

The process of tearing down Number Eight Shed, however, remains on schedule for completion by April 1.

The Corporation made the decision to close the sheds, used for stripping containers, last year after they were deemed dangerous due to overcrowding on the strained docks.

?The amount of cargo has increased by ten percent every year since 2000,? Mr. Bluck repeated on Friday.

The Corporation did not provide an alternative for freighters, who said they are now being saddled with finding and paying for a new site ? a cost which, it is presumed, will eventually be passed on to the consumer.

Though freighters had suggested compromise during months of talks of keeping both sheds in place this year and finding a permanent solution for next year, the announcement that Number Eight Shed would be torn down was made at the end of January.

?It was just too dangerous (to leave things as they were),? Mr. Bluck said yesterday.

That decision was met with outcry from non-vessel operators (NVOs) and small businesses who tend to import less-than-container-loads (LCLs), sharing containers with others.

The Corporation ?put the cart before the horse? by closing Number Eight Shed before NVOs and businesses had time to set up an alternative stripping site, BEST president David Sousa said yesterday.

An alternative stripping site run by the NVOs instead of the Corporation of Hamilton would involve buying/renting warehouse space, hiring workers to strip the containers, and working out a system with Customs whereby the containers could be taken off the docks before being stripped.

However as the announcement to tear down Number Eight Shed was made just two weeks before demolition of the shed began, neither Customs nor the NVOs had put the mechanisms in place yet.

That means that the containers that were being stripped in both Number Seven and Number Eight Sheds are currently all being stripped in Number Seven Shed alone.

?There?s not enough dialogue,? Mr. Sousa complained.

Importer/exporter Danielle McLaughlin agreed, saying most small businesses were not even aware of the Corporation?s intention to go out of the LCL business.

When Ms McLaughlin, who works at Shopflyship Express, contacted the airport to see if plans were being made to increase storage there in preparation for small businesses who may opt to bring their goods in via air instead of sea, she said even the airport was unaware of the Corporation?s intentions.

Expenses have already soared for small businesses, she said. The price of stripping a consolidated container used to be $200, now it is $700.

The additional costs of paying for alternative stripping space could prove too much for some businesses, she said.

But Mr. Bluck defended the decision. saying: ?We do not want to be in the LCL business any longer.?

The fate of Number Seven Shed is still unknown, he said. ?Ultimately I think it will go but it could be five years from now.

?NVOs have got to get together and find someplace to do stripping off the docks.

?We have offered every bit of help we can offer. We just don?t have the room (at the Front Street docks).

?But we are very cognisant of the worries of the NVOs.?

The Corporation was working to fix leaks at Number Seven Shed, he added, saying they are currently in discussions with Stevedoring Services regarding whether or not to fix the leaks temporarily until the weather improves.

The final results will not be perfect, Mr. Bluck said. ?But with the goodwill of everybody, and if everybody is timely in picking up their cargo, this should work. There should not be a serious problem if everyone is on board.?

Though all stakeholders seem to agree the problem of congestion at the docks must be addressed, the way the decisions have been made appeared ?highly suspect? to Pulp and Circumstance owner Kristi Grayston.

?It?s been inconvenient and frightening for a lot of people,? she said. ?The Corporation should be working with the NVOs and LCL customers.

?Even if shipping becomes more expensive, fine, that will be alright if things are going to move through clearly and quickly so we can get our stuff on time.?

However the Corporation has not been forthcoming, she said, referring to the perceived abruptness of the decision to tear down Number Eight Shed and the continued lack of a timeline to work around regarding the fate of Number Seven Shed.

LCL customers, she added, pay the majority of the taxes on the docks. ?We don?t yet know the impact, but this will make it hard to compete on an even playing field.?