Evolution of Cargo Handling
The Port Crane
This summer, I visited Poland, a country rich in culture and fascinating history. In Gdansk, apart from admiring the splendid old town with its mannerist architecture and the gothic or baroque churches, I stumbled upon one of the city’s most astonishing symbols: the Port Crane.
The crane was constructed during the time of the Teutonic Order, and I highly recommend visiting the Order’s headquarters in Malbork. This imposing brick and wooden structure, with a rectangular shape, features a complex mechanism of wheels and pulleys. When manually operated, it could lift incredibly heavy loads, either to load them onto ships or to remove them from the ship’s hold.
Exploring the port of Gdansk with its shipyards is fascinating. It provides an opportunity to immerse oneself in the historical essence of a port. But it is through the lens of our imagination that we can recreate the bustling and vibrant trade and industrious labour of a medieval port.
Human ingenuity
Throughout history, human ingenuity has demonstrated remarkable skill in designing structures and mechanisms to facilitate the movement of heavy cargo. Consider the massive blocks used in the construction of the pyramids, where the Egyptians, utilizing an enormous human workforce, ramps, and levers, built monumental structures.
Of course, the invention of the wheel allowed the Sumerians and Babylonians to build animal-drawn carts, making it easier to transport heavier loads with less effort.
Or think of medieval drawbridges, which ensured both the city’s safety and the passage of barges and ships beneath them.
Human ingenuity knows no bounds when it comes to devising creative solutions for solving complex problems, such as handling heavy cargo. Even in maritime transportation, ships have evolved, both in terms of technical advancements and increased cargo capacity. From rowing propulsion, we transitioned to the use of sails and eventually steam engines. From simple vessels, we progressed to specialized and ever-larger ships. Just think about today’s container ships, which can carry up to 24,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units – see FAQ).
As for road infrastructure, I refer you to the previous article on the evolution of transportation, while concerning the future, I invite you to read the article about drones. Certainly, the future is a matter of imagination. To quote Einstein: ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the world.
