Belfast Harbour - Cruises Cranes and Cargo S01 complete (1280x720p HD, 50fps, soft Eng subs)

Belfast Harbour - Cruises Cranes and Cargo S01 complete (1280x720p HD, 50fps, soft Eng subs)

Documentary series looking at life on Belfast docks.

E01
At Belfast Container Terminal, crane op Ryan unloads the vessel Helga, which brings hundreds of containers into the port each week. Also needing precision and focus is Craig in the control room, who keeps track of every container that comes off and each one that is then loaded on for exporting. / / Belfast also welcomes its biggest ever cruise ship, the MSC Meraviglia. With space for nearly 6,500 people, the ship is a floating city. Helping to steer her into the harbour are pilots Dougie and Peter. Things are made easier with the help of Neil in the Vehicle Traffic Service (VTS) control centre, who navigates and communicates with every vessel that comes into the harbour. Meanwhile, shipping agent Gary puts a highly logistical operation in place for the Meraviglia - including trying to find two and a half tonnes of beef before its departure. Entertaining the passengers while the ship is docked is tour guide Billy Scott. He starts his day at Benny's Cafe for a good old-fashioned Ulster fry, before leading a group of passengers on a tour of the city. / / The episode also uncovers the story behind Harland & Wolff, recently under threat of closure. Robert and Karen, two of the shipyard's workers, tell their stories. Along with their colleagues, the workers occupy the gates of the yard to protest the loss of their jobs.

E02
We catch up with crane operator Ryan on a windy day at the container terminal. When the winds are too strong, the cranes must cease operation and Ryan can't do anything but wait. The coxswains and pilots have no other choice but to face the weather. Pilot Liam has steered the vessel Afalina out to open water, but he must get back to land by climbing onto coxswain Paul's pilot boat - while both vessels are still moving. / / Surprisingly, there's a nature reserve in the heart of the harbour. We meet Chris at Belfast's Window on Wildlife, who needs to maintain the site to encourage the harbour birds to spend their days there. / / Back at the container terminal we see the arrival of new, state-of-the-art semi-automated cranes from China. They mark a new future for the workers, who'll be able to operate the cranes from an office. / / After seeing a group of volunteers at Lagan Search and Rescue leap into action for a training exercise, we see them on high alert for real at the annual Halloween monster mash, along with the harbour police. Luckily the night goes off without a hitch, and our heroes get to enjoy the fireworks at the end of the evening.

E03
Behind the scenes on the superfast ferry, we meet truck driver Christina Hughes, who is on a regular run to deliver fruit across the Irish Sea. She gets the night ferry over to Cairnryan and takes advantage of the spa facilities onboard, before driving the 230 miles to Widnes and parking up for a mandatory rest break! / Meanwhile, pilot Dougie helps steer the vessel Hav Pike into the harbour, which involves some tricky manoeuvring, but 'another miracle' helps Dougie get her safely docked. / Port controller Sarah Newell helps navigate the ferry into the harbour. Stephen Millar is the captain, while onboard services manager Dave Keery coordinates a quick turnaround during the 90 minutes the ferry is in the port. / Below deck, tugmaster Ricky Hamilton is the ultimate multi-tasker, and in the same time window needs to both unload and load the unaccompanied trucks, as well as ensuring the passengers' luggage gets onboard too. He's also the one to disengage the gangway from the ferry. / We head to the scrapyard and meet Paul Toner who takes us through the process of crushing and shredding the old cars and other scrap metal that has come into the yard. / On Dave's second return from Scotland in his 13-hour shift, he meets another Dave and his wife Teresa, who are on their way to Belfast to pick up a puppy - little Rocky the Bernese Mountain pup, and we get to meet him on their return journey! / Chris Sturgeon is the RSPB warden at Belfast Window on Wildlife and leads a group on a walk around the reserve, with a few witty stories to tell! / When trucker Christina goes back for the Belfast-bound load, she has to take a detour to the ferry to pick up an unexpected additional batch. Time is tight and she makes the ferry by the skin of her teeth.

First broadcast: April-May 2020
Duration: 30 minutes per episode
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