Every time a grab swings between a ship and a truck, some cargo escapes – and at the quay edge it can easily end up in the water. The PortSHAZ prevention cover was designed to catch that material. To show how it is used in practice, we have prepared a short 3D animation that walks through the whole workflow, from preparing the quay to cleaning up after the last grab.
What the film shows
The animation is a generic guide that can be applied in any small or medium port handling dry bulk with a grab crane:
1. Preparing the quay – protective foil is laid on the quay surface.
2. Positioning the cover – a forklift brings the wheeled cover and pushes it up to the hull so that the rubber apron bridges the gap between the quay and the ship; the wheels are then locked.
3. Placing the skip – a self-dumping skip is pushed under the cover outlet.
4. Opening the hold – hatches are opened and the truck parks next to the cover.
5. Unloading – the grab travels over the cover; material escaping from it lands on the sloped tray, slides to the outlet and drops into the skip. The grab is lowered into the truck before it opens.
6. Emptying the skip – when the truck is full and the skip nearly full, handling pauses and the forklift empties the skip into the truck.
7. Finishing – once the hold is empty, the hatches are closed and the cover is removed.
8. Clean-up – the foil is swept, the residue goes into the skip, and the recovered material is loaded onto the truck.
The film also covers one important safety point: as the vessel rises during unloading, the contact between the hull and the cover must be monitored, and handling should be stopped to reposition the cover when needed.
Why it matters
The cover is a simple, low-cost solution that does not require changes to quay infrastructure. It helps keep the water and the terminal cleaner and returns recovered cargo to the shipment instead of treating it as waste. The approach is being tested in real operations – the first pilot took place at the Port of Elbląg – and the lessons learned are feeding into the further development of the device.
Watch, download and share
The film is free to use for training, presentations and awareness-raising. You can watch it above or download it below:
You are welcome to share and use the film with attribution: "PortSHAZ project, Interreg South Baltic 2021–2027".
Would you like to use the prevention cover in your port or learn more about the pilot? Get in touch with the PortSHAZ team.
The animation was produced by K2 Solutions within Work Package 3 of the PortSHAZ project, with the support of AI tools (including AI-generated narration). It is an illustrative visualisation; actual equipment and procedures may differ from port to port.
PortSHAZ (STHB.02.02-IP.01-0005/23) is implemented within the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2021–2027 and co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund.