For much of the 20th Century the port of Liverpool was one of the United Kingdom’s largest centres for the production of animal feedstuffs (AFS) compounds, known as oilcake, reaching a peak in the 1950’s when over two thirds of the feed milling industry’s manufacturing capacity was still centered on major ports. A number of large seed and kernel crushing facilities, along with compound cake manufacturing plants such as Bibby Mills, had been established in Liverpool making it the most important in the country, product being distributed coastwise to other ports.

The Seed, Oil and Cake Trade, as it was known, providing feed mainly for cattle, pigs and sheep, was one of the major factors in the pre-eminence of the port of Liverpool, with up to 800,000 tons of material imported each year. In the year to 30th June 1956 a total of 535,767 tons of cargo specifically designated as AFS, plus 256,810 tons of “seeds or nuts for expressing oils” and a quantity of molasses, was imported in the Mersey.

The oilcake, which was formed as a bi-product from the oilseed crushing process from which soap was manufactured, was a good source of protein and energy in animal feed. It was mixed with grain and other additives such as molasses or palm oil to produce a range of balanced animal feeds known as ‘compound feed’ sold in hessian sacks.

An important local compounder was Edward Billington and Son, established on Wirral in 1858, which has traded from Liverpool for the past 150 years. The company first entered the market for the manufacture of cattle cake in 1902. A mill was established in the old bedstead manufacturing factory of Billington Brothers on Great Homer Street under the name of Criddle and Co. Ltd. As Bibby, who would be a direct competitor to the new company, was one of Billingtons’ biggest customers at the time, Billingtons used the Criddle name, the existing Billington & Criddle partnership manufacturing treacle and syrup until 1938 when the operation was sold to Tate & Lyle. By 1959 Criddles relocated from Liverpool to a much larger site in Ellesmere Port which, at its peak, manufactured 50,000 tonnes of animal feed per annum but closed in 1978.

Due to the popularity amongst farmers during the 1960’s for this kind of feed, shipped in jute sacks and attracting a low freight rate, the volume gradually grew into large “parcels” of bagged cargo, of little interest to the British cargo liner operators whose primary business was to serve the United Kingdom’s export markets, and was from the early 1970’s shipped in bulk.

During the 1970s the supply of vegetable oilseeds, such as cottonseed, rapeseed, flaxseed (linseed), sesame seed, sunflower seed and soybean, mainly came from northwest India with copra (coconut) from Kerala State in the southwest and, increasingly, rice bran loaded at Kakinada on the east coast. Groundnut (or peanut) was also sourced from West Africa and cottonseed from East Africa while, from the 1980’s, China became an important supplier of oilseed and some tapioca was imported from Thailand. In 1984 there was a change in agriculture policy, with the abrupt introduction of milk quotas, quickly reducing the market for feed by a million tonnes, leading to declining production tonnages and the closure of dockside mills.

AFS Manufacturers

Mention is made in the preface to J. Bibby, Billington and Criddle as important animal feed manufacturers on Merseyside. While descriptions of these Companies are set out below, the most important AFS manufacturer today is Cargill of Geneva.

Cargill of Geneva

Cargill’s soybean crush and refinery based at Seaforth Dock, Liverpool, has been operating since 1986, producing high protein soybean meal, while the rapeseed crush plant and refinery based at Brocklebank Dock has been operating since 1995. Cargill also owns and operates the imported feed ingredient terminal (S2) at Seaforth Dock, the throughput in 2009/10 being approximately 650,000 metric tonnes.

Cargill was founded in 1865 and remains a family owned business, now based in Minnesota. Shortly after the American Civil War William Cargill, a Scottish immigrant sea merchant, had bought his first grain elevator in Conover, Iowa. In 1953, Cargill established Tradax International in Panama to run its global grain trade and in 1956 set up Tradax Genève in Geneva, Switzerland, as the co-ordinating arm of Tradax. In 1999 Cargill bought Continental Grain’s worldwide grain merchandising business which included oilseed crushing capacity in Europe.

Continental Grain had been started by Simon Fribourg as a commodity trading business in Belgium in 1813. The Fribourg family business established its first U.S. office in Chicago in 1921 and the company was re-organized as Continental Grain Company. The company’s business was then developed into the production of beef, pork, and poultry products and into feed and flour milling.

J. Bibby & Sons Ltd.

Edward Bibby, a miller, had in 1830 bought Condor Mill at Abbeystead, Scotforth, near Lancaster. A new concept in animal feeds, which they called Bibby’s Excelsior Calf Meal, was started by his grandson Joseph in 1877 and J. Bibby & Sons was formed in 1879. In 1883 Bibby opened a new mill in Lancaster for the production of animal compound feeds and, because of its good rail and sea links, started a mill in Liverpool two years later, closing the mill in Lancaster in 1888. The Liverpool mill was rebuilt in 1892 after a serious fire and the business expanded into oilseed crushing and soap production. The hazardous nature of the business was further demonstrated in 1911, when a meal-dust explosion killed 39 people at the mill, and again in 1930 when another explosion in a silo killed eleven people.

In 1892 the James Bibby, a 3 masted top-sail schooner of 130 tons, was built by Nicholson & Marsh at Glasson dock, Lancaster, to carry Bibby products from Liverpool to other ports and by 1895 production had reached 3,000 tons per week.

In 1968, following its progression into seed crushing and vegetable oil refining, what had become known as J. Bibby Agriculture, was in 1994 acquired by Princes Foods and went on to become part of Associated British Foods plc. In December 2003, the Bibby brand and six ruminant compound mills, producing in excess of 400,000 tonnes of feed a year, were sold to W. J. Pye of Lancaster. Pye Bibby however entered administration in 2005 and the business was sold on to Carrs Billington (associated with Criddle & Co.). The growing Welsh animal feed supplier Wynnstay, which in 2006 had acquired the Glasson Group, now owns 50% of the former J. Bibby Agriculture business.

Criddle Billington

Criddle & Co., a major manufacturer of animal feed at Liverpool from 1902, had in 1970 created a joint venture with Burgess Feeds of Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, to operate a new mill, trading under the name Criddle Burgess Feeds Ltd., at Carlisle. Another mill in Stone, Staffordshire, was then quickly established along with others in surrounding inland areas.

In 1986 Billingtons bought out Burgess, the name changing to Criddle Billington Feeds and expanded its commodity trading operations with the acquisitions of Wrigglesworth of Hull and Joseph Pyke of Preston and Liverpool. These companies, it is thought including the trader Krone, a name more associated with agricultural equipment, were later merged with Criddle & Co. In 1998 Criddle Billington, with its mills in Stone and Carlisle, entered a partnership with Carrs Agriculture of Silloth. Carrs’ feed mill was closed and its volume added to the Carlisle Mill.

B.Tickle & Sons Ltd.

Established in St. Helens 150 years ago, B. Tickle & Sons currently operates from a purpose-built mill in Speke, manufacturing animal feedstuffs such as pellets and coarse mixes used by sheep and dairy farmers.

Molasses

Reference is made in the preface to the use of molasses in the production of animal feed. United Molasses has long been the pre-eminent supplier of molasses in the United Kingdom

In 1907 Michael Kroyer-Keilberg joined the cattle feed importers Marquis Clayton in Liverpool. Under the name of Marquis, United Molasses Co. Ltd. was then established in 1910 as a cattle feed importer. British Molasses Company (BMC) was created in 1915 to import molasses in bulk, initially using chartered tonnage. In 1921 BMC purchased their first vessels, the 1905 built Manx Isles which had been converted in 1915 for the carriage of bulk molasses and the 1914 built tanker Athelmere, while Pure Cane Molasses Limited was formed to handle all molasses trading.

United Molasses Ltd, a holding company for BMC and Pure Cane Molasses, was established in London in 1926, going on to purchase more ships, operating as the Athel Line, and purchasing a controlling interest in Anchor Line in 1949. In 1937 the company sold their Liverpool refinery to Tate & Lyle and the two companies became increasingly interlinked.

In 1964 United Molasses was bought by Tate & Lyle which thus became the world leader in the molasses trade. Tate & Lyle however sold their molasses and liquid storage operations in 2010 to W&R Barnett, the United Molasses brand continuing in use with major bulk molasses storage terminals located in Liverpool, Greenock, Hull, Portbury and Dagenham. In Liverpool, molasses is discharged in South Canada 1 branch dock, adjacent to Huskisson 3 branch dock and the former Tate & Lyle sugar refinery.

A.P. Star

Seen discharging a cargo of molasses in South Canada 1 branch dock, Liverpool, on 27th January 2005, is the 183 metres long, Yugoslav built tanker A. P. STAR, managed by ASP Ship Management Limited of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Built at Split in 1978 as ASHKABAD for the U.S.S.R., she had passed into ASP’s management on sale to Nigeria in 2000 when given the name of OGARAMBA DIUGWU. She then traded as A. P. STAR from the end of 2002 until December 2005 when beached at Chittagong for breaking.

Traders and Charterers

The complexities of the business make it impossible to precisely link particular traders and charterers with specific compound manufacturers. Indeed they may have bought and sold cargoes during voyages and finally sold parcels of the cargo following discharge into quayside sheds.

However there were contracts in place between traders and stevedores so that, for example, after 1973 European Grain’s cargoes always discharged at Rea Bulk Handling’s berths in Birkenhead. Sometimes ships discharged a part cargo in Liverpool and then shifted to Birkenhead to discharge the balance, usually of a different commodity, owned by European Grain.

Similarly, as the appointment of port agents could be made by either the trader, charterer or shipowner, there was little certainty of which agent would handle any particular ship excepting the Chinese which were almost always handled by Lambert Brothers (later Escombe, Lambert). The primary port agents were Herbert Watson, who I recall were always extremely helpful in providing information on estimated ship arrival and departure times, Cory Brothers and, from the mid 1980’s, Genchem.

Arkady Feed (UK) Ltd. is now the leading trader in oilseed brought into the Port of Liverpool for animal feed production. Arkady derives from The Ward Baking Co. of New York. British Arkady Co. was established in 1925 to market Arkady’s products in the UK and in 1936 a new soya bean flour mill was built in Manchester. In 1983 Alfred C. Toepfer International, looking to establish an office in London to trade animal feedstuffs, bought out the feedstuffs division of British Arkady Co. which was replaced by a new Company, Arkady Feed (UK) Ltd., created in 1983.

Other traders and charterers had included:

European Grain & Shipping Limited, established in 1926 and owned by the André Group from 1997 to 2001, who are London based shippers, chartering brokers and importers and merchants of commodities, foodstuffs, grain, animal feed and edible nuts and seeds.

Glasson Grain, from 2006 part of the Wynnstay Group, is based at the small port of Glasson Dock south of Lancaster. The company was founded in 1977 as a trader and importer of animal feed commodities.

Grosvenor Grain & Feed Company was created in 1987 as an importer of oilseed to compounders who supplied animal feed to farmers. Based at Meols on the Wirral with operations at Bromborough, Immingham and Perth, Grosvenor Grain went out of business in 2006.

Peter Cremer, who had started business in Hannover in 1946 and moved to Hamburg in 1954, is well known all over the world for its trading activites, principally in agricultural products. In 1969, a shipping company, PRO LINE, was formed to operate mainly between South America, West and South Africa, South East Asia and the Far East.

Ships Employed

Until the early 1970’s, bagged oilseed cargoes were stowed in the lower ‘tweendecks of British ships returning to Liverpool from India and Africa. Due to its low value, and hence low freight rate, it was unusual for any British ship to load a substantial quantity of the cargo.

British Ships

Clan Maclaren

Clan Line was one of the British lines involved in shipping bagged AFS from India and East Africa to Liverpool. The Line’s tonnage shortage after the end of the Second World War, immediately alleviated only by the acquisition of a number of warbuilt standard ships, led to the building at Greenock of six new vessels of the CLAN MACLAREN class. Seen in Alexandra 1 branch dock, Liverpool, on 19th December 1970, the 1946 built lead ship was lying idle after completion of discharge. Sold towards the end of 1976, she briefly traded around the coast of India as SEEMOR until beached at Gadani Beach near Karachi on 17th May 1977 to be broken up.

Baltistan

For her last voyage to the United Kingdom, Strick Line’s BALTISTAN had exceptionally loaded a bulk cargo of AFS at the port of Bhavnagar in Gujarat State, north west India, for discharge in south east Alexandra 2 Dock, Liverpool. Sailing from Bhavnagar on 23rd May 1972, she had arrived at Liverpool on 16th July and was photographed in the dock system on 9th September outbound for Rotterdam. Soon sold to the Greek Thenamaris group and renamed ELINDIA, she was resold in 1973 and renamed GULF DIAMOND. Stranding in the Gulf of Oman on 20th May 1974, while on passage from Karachi to Arabian Gulf ports, she was subsequently sold for breaking, arriving at Gadani Beach on 1st September 1974.

Shipment of oilseed in bulk

The change in oilseed shipment from bagged to bulk in the early 1970’s had coincided with the sale of many British and Continental ‘tweendeck ships to foreign, notably Greek, owners. Able to operate more cheaply, their ships were often fixed to Europe with bulk oilseed cargoes from India and elsewhere at low rates, despite their ‘tweendecks being a disadvantage, slowing discharge of the bulk cargoes.

The sacks containing the oilseed, on being hoisted above the ship at the loading port, were slit to release the material into the hold, then resealed and reused. Loading was always slow at ports such as Kakinada which had little in the way of mechanization, i.e. fork lifts and powerloaders. On arrival, the bulk cargo was normally grab discharged into road or rail wagons, a dusty process which was particularly slow in the latter stages when bulldozers may have to be lowered into the holds to push the remaining cargo into centrally situated piles. Discharge by elevator was rarely a practical alternative.

This development brought to the Mersey many interesting former British and Continental ships, albeit often in poor condition and sometimes soon sold for breaking. However, during the 1980’s the availability of such ships diminished, to be replaced by newer ships such as SD14’s, Communist bloc and, in the 1990’s, former Communist bloc ships, with a few bulk carriers also participating in the trade.

Shipowners domiciled in the oilseed growing countries, notably India but also Pakistan and China, naturally had an economic interest in carrying cargos from their home ports to northern Europe including the Mersey. Their ships would often become available at, or close to, the load ports and, once discharged, would be well positioned to load return cargoes to their home countries.

Former British And Continental Ships

SAS

SAS was photographed on the evening of 7th June 1974, shortly before sailing for Nantes, alongside S.E.Alexandra 2 branch dock, Liverpool, following discharge of a part cargo of Indian rice bran with Cory Brothers acting as port agents. Due to the arrival of the Greek vessel IONIC on 20th May, so occupying the berth, the scheduled discharge port rotation was reversed and she first called at Rotterdam. Built at Sunderland in 1940 as HINDUSTAN for Common Brothers, she traded as the Swedish ALMEN from 1954 to 1963 before sale to Greek owners, being T.Stafilopatis until 1972 and then George T.Sigalas, both trading her as SAS. After two subsequent consecutive voyages to Nigeria with cargoes of cement, and following an engine breakdown off Sète, she was laid up at Piraeus on 16th February 1977 and scrapped at Santander where she arrived in tow on 23rd July 1979. [Photograph by Paul Boot]

Maldive Navigator

Seen berthed in North Huskisson No.3 branch dock is the MALDIVE NAVIGATOR, built at Nakskov in 1956 as NORDGLIMT for D/S Norden A/S of Copenhagen, only recently renamed after a few months as AL QASIM and after trading as AL RASHEED for two years from 1974. She had sailed from Bedi Bunder on 15th October and Bombay on 5th November 1976, arriving at Liverpool on 1st December and remaining in port until 11th January 1977. MALDIVE NAVIGATOR finally arrived at Gadani Beach on 14th September 1983 to be scrapped. [Photograph by Norman Hesketh]

Naya

Discharging a part cargo of Sudanese groundnut expeller at South East Alexandra 2 branch dock on 23rd June 1978 is the Greek owned NAYA. Built at Port Glasgow in 1949 for Lyle as CAPE GRENVILLE, she was sold in 1965 to Victoria S.S. who traded her as COSMAR, and then as COSMARIA from 1973 to 1976, until selling the ship to Polar Star Maritime (Zea Shipping, owned by D.Fosteris and D.Maltezos) of Piraeus. Initially renamed SELAS, she was given the name NAYA early in 1978, then MAYFAIR in 1979 before they sold the ship to Pakistan breakers who commenced work at Gadani Beach on 25th October 1980. The balance of her cargo was discharged at Avonmouth and then, most unusually, a port in Iceland. Occasional consignments were also taken on to Norway.

Eternal Sea

With the ship’s original name of BAMENDA PALM clearly visible, this view of the stern of ETERNAL SEA, with Alexandra Silo behind, was taken at the end of February 1981 at S.E.Alexandra 2 branch dock, Liverpool, where she discharged a full cargo of Indian Rice Bran with Herbert Watson acting as port agents. ETERNAL SEA was owned by Costas Skiadas (Allouete Shipping Corporation), who had initially named her ELSA S.K. Built at Wallsend in 1956 she had been sold by Palm Line to Greece in 1972 , trading as LENIO until 1978, and was broken up at Gadani Beach in February 1983.

Doman

Seen working cargo at Cavendish quay, Birkenhead, on 14th January 1985 is DOMAN, the former TRENEGLOS of Hain S.S. Company, built at Port Glasgow in 1963. After three years as STRATHTRUIM between 1974 and 1977, then three years under the Singapore flag as SIAM BAY, she had been purchased by the Greek domiciled Family Shipping Company and renamed FAMILY ANGEL but then laid up at Piraeus in April 1982. Reactivated early in 1984 as DOMAN, she had loaded her cargo of rice bran at Kakinada on the east coast of India between 15th November and 11th December 1984. After discharge at Birkenhead she returned to India before arriving at Nantong, China, on 2nd August 1985 to be broken up.

Naz K.

An exceptional visitor in October 1988 was the Turkish owned NAZ K., built at Dumbarton in 1960 as PHYLLIS BOWATER, having discharged a cargo of animal feedstuffs. Not only was this ship one of the smallest to bring a cargo of oilseed from India to Liverpool, she had initially berthed in Liverpool and changed berth there before it was finally determined that she would discharge in Birkenhead. Her ownership was soon transferred from Marti Shipping & Trading to Kalkavan Denicilik who eventually sold her to Indian breakers and she was beached at Alang on 8th March 2001. Bowater had sold the ship in 1973 to Greece for whom she had traded as CHARLOTTE for five years, TASSOS K. for four years and MALERO M 1 for a few months at the end of 1982 before her purchase by Turkey.

SD14 Type Ships

Owners of newer multi-purpose ships, such as SD14 and Freedom type “Liberty replacements”, were cautious of AFS cargoes for the reason that fixtures on f.i.o. terms (i.e. free of charges to the cargo buyer “in and out” of the ship) leave the onus of cleaning the holds after completion of discharge to the owners. This potentially prejudices their ability to meet, often tight, cancelling dates for their next employment following discharge, so delays could be very expensive. Nonethless SD14’s in particular were increasingly employed in this trade as the 1980’s progressed:

Epimenidis

EPIMENIDIS had unusually brought a cargo from Rio Grande into Birkenhead in September 1982 and was photographed alongside Duke Street wharf prior to sailing for Rotterdam to discharge the balance. Ordered as ARCADIAN VALOUR, she was delivered to Colocotronis in 1973 as TOGO for a long term charter to Deutsche Afrika Linien. Sold and renamed CAPE PRIDE in 1976, she was in 1980 purchased by A. Andriopoulos and renamed EPIMENIDIS. In 1984 she was sold at auction to Giavridis Brothers and renamed EXPEDIENT. Sold on to China in 1996, she traded as JOIN CHEUNG until arriving at Alang on 6th January 1999 to be broken up.

IO

Berthed in Huskisson 3 branch dock on 3rd March 1984 is the Greek owned SD14 type IO, delivered to Mavroleon in April 1969 as CARINA, one of the earliest built, which was renamed ALIOUSSA two years prior to her purchase by D.Kraniotis in 1980. IO had brought to Liverpool a part cargo of Indian rice bran and tamarind seed, the balance being discharged at Belfast and Rotterdam. Sold at auction in 1985 to Palmyra Tsiris Lines and renamed HYMETUS, she sadly sank with the loss of two lives on 16th December 1986 while on a voyage from Bourgas to Shanghai with a cargo of steel products after developing a crack in her hull during heavy weather.

Tolmi

Alongside S.E.Alexandra 2 berth, Liverpool, on 23rd April 1985, waiting to sail to Flushing for orders, is the SD14 variant TOLMI, which had brought a cargo of rice bran pellets from Kakinada, India, with port agents Escombe McGrath. Built in 1972 at Skaramanga as HELLENIC IDEAL, she had been arrested at New York at the end of 1983 when Hellenic Lines collapsed and in mid 1984 purchased by Anangel Shipping Enterprises. Sold in 1988, she initially took the Nigerian name INNA WAKILI, managed by Lorentzens Skibs of Oslo, before being sold back to Greece in 1989 to trade as TELEMACHUS, then in 1991 MEGA UNION and in 1992 PRUDENT VOYAGER as which she finally arrived at Alang on 6th January 1996 to be broken up.

Lord Venkata

One of the first SD14’s to be built, delivered to Papalios in 1968 as DEGEDO, the LORD VENKATA is seen moving stern first out of Huskisson 3 branch dock, outbound for Ghent on 25th April 1988 after discharging a full cargo of Indian rice bran and salseed, Genchem acting as port agents. After being renamed AEGIS ISLAND by Papalios in 1976, she had been sold in 1980 to the fast growing Good Faith Shipping Company (Frangos and Moundreas) who initially named her GOOD PATRIOT, then ANTWERP in 1984, LIBERATOR A. in 1986, then LORD VENKATA and finally, later in 1988, sold to become CAPTAIN NIKOS A. as which arrived at Alang on 16th April 1992 to be broken up.

Piva

SD14’s operated by Prekookeanska Plovidba of Bar, Yugoslavia (now Montenegro), were frequent callers to the Mersey in the 1980’s with cargoes of animal feedstuffs. Their vessel PIVA is seen in Alfred Basin, Birkenhead, arriving on the misty morning of 27th April 1987. Built in 1980 as BELLOC for Lamport & Holt Line who sold her in 1981, PIVA was renamed RIO B. in 1992 but sold to the Chinese- Tanzanian joint company in 2000. Renamed PANGANI, she became the Greek owned TOUGH TRADER in 2006 and NADEEN in 2009 as which, in January 2014, she was trading to Khor Al Zubair Port, Iraq.

Indian Ships

Indian Fortune

Whereas general cargo ships operated by the India Steamship Company had often brought bagged oilseed to Liverpool, bulk shipments were only carried in larger vessels such as INDIAN FORTUNE, seen discharging her dusty cargo of rice bran from Kakinada at S.E. Alex 2 berth on 6th January 1984. One of five 1971/72 built Freedom type ships purchased by India S.S. between 1975 and 1977, four “en bloc” from Halcoussis, INDIAN FORTUNE, delivered as LEONIS HALCOUSSIS, finally arrived at Alang on 1st May 1991 to be broken up.

APJ Priti

Ships operated by Surrendra Overseas Limited’s “Apeejay Shipping Lines”, which had started business in Calcutta in 1959, have on occasions loaded bulk oilseed cargoes for Liverpool. The 1976 built APJ PRITI, built at Kochi, Japan, is seen discharging a cargo of Indian rice bran at S.E. Alex 2 berth in January 1987, port agents Backhouse Bloore. APJ PRITI, which had survived an engine room fire on 31st May 1983 after being struck by rockets near Bandar Khomeini, was beached at Mumbai on 22nd January 1998 to be broken up.

APJ Priya

The 1967 Emden built APJ PRIYA was photographed on 3rd September 1987 at S.E. Alex 2 when close to completion of discharge of another cargo of Indian rice bran. She finally arrived at her home port of Calcutta on 9th July 1990 to be broken up.

Communist Bloc Ships

Dmitriy Ulyanov

During the 1980’s Soviet vessels were more often employed than they had been previously in the carriage of animal feed to North Europe. An example is the 1970 built, Leningrad registered, DMITRIY ULYANOV, seen on 13th January 1987 shortly after leaving the S.E. Alex 2 berth following discharge of a cargo of cottonseed, rapeseed and soya extract loaded at Qinghuangdao in China. One of a series built at Warnemünde in East Germany the ship continued trading, managed by the Baltic Shipping Company of St.Petersburg, until arriving off Alang on 12th February 1995. A planned sale to breakers however did not materialise and the ship instead continued trading, taking the names YANMIT, NISARAT and FARHABILAH in quick succession over the following months. The ship was last reported in Chittagong Roads on 26th February 1996 and was deleted from the registers in 2004.

Senj

Jugolinjia (Jugoslavenska Linijska Plovidba of Rijeka, now Croatia), the Yugoslav state shipping line, had often fixed their ships to the Mersey with cargoes of animal feed. The 1972 Marghera, Venice, built SENJ is seen approaching Gladstone lock stern first on the ebb tide of 3rd October 1986 with a cargo of rice bran from Pakistan, port agents Herbert Watson. Sold in 1995 to the Government of North Korea and renamed MOKRAN, she was beached at Alang on 30th June 1999 to be broken up.

Vorosmarty

The Hungarian owned VOROSMARTY, a Dnepr type ship built at Kherson in 1979 and unusual visitor, is seen passing close to Seacombe landing stage as she approached Birkenhead on 15th January 1997 with a cargo of oilseed from the east coast of India. The ship was sold in 2000 to Dutch principles, but with clear Chinese connections, briefly trading as YONG KONG until beached at Chittagong on 27th February 2001 for breaking.

An Yang Jiang

Chinese ships were from the 1970s, and still are to Seaforth Dock, frequent visitors to the Mersey with cargoes of animal feedstuffs loaded worldwide. Here is the SD14 type AN YANG JIANG in Alfred Basin on arrival from China on 6th May 1986. Built in 1980 for Hong Kong based owners as GRAND FAITH, she was sold in 1984 by the liquidators of the Carrian Group to the China Ocean Shipping Company to trade as AN YANG JIANG until sold locally in 2009 and renamed JINYUANHU. The ship’s last reported position was near Wuhu, near Nanjing, in September 2012.

Former Communist Bloc Ships

Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which released their former ships onto the open market, Eastern Bloc companies, notably Ukrainian, whose primary objective was to earn U.S. dollars, were able to ‘tailor’ the economics of the voyage to suit themselves and take a chance on being delayed or detained. As detention by “Port State Control” of these vessels, or arrest due to unpaid debts, was commonplace, charterers were wary of Eastern Bloc ships. Nonetheless their low costs enabled them to dominate the carriage of oilseed cargoes from India in the 1990’s. Oilseed imports from India and elsewhere in the East had however largely ceased by the end of the 1990’s for the main reason that the materials had been priced out of the market.

Izmail

A good example of a former Soviet ship employed in the carriage of oilseed to the Mersey in the 1990’s is the IZMAIL, seen from Seacombe on 10th March 1995 passing Liverpool’s graceful buildings and then entering Alfred Basin after a voyage from Kakinada via Lorient with a cargo of rice bran. IZMAIL was built at Warnemünde in 1968 and managed by the Odessa based Black Sea Shipping Company who, on being privatised, had painted their ships’ funnels white, leaving a narrow black top. IZMAIL was beached at Chittagong on 8th January 1999 to be broken up.

Stevedores

Bulk AFS cargoes were mainly discharged by Liverpool Grain Storage & Transit Company Limited (LGST) in south east Alexandra 2 branch dock. LGST had been created in 1883 by a group of shipowners and grain merchants with a primary objective to build and operate vertical storage silo facilities for grain. The Alexandra 2 silo was built in 1895 to work alongside the original one built at Alexandra 1 branch dock which was opened in 1881.

In order to provide additional capacity, transit silos were built in 1922 and the first pneumatic ship discharging plant was erected at south Alexandra branch dock no. 2 in 1927. Impressive transit silos, located at the head of Alexandra Dock branches 1 and 2 until demolished in 1992, were built for weighing material discharged from ships prior to being transferred, it is believed by underground conveyor, to granaries located in Strand Road, Bootle, which were however demolished in 1962.

During the remainder of the 1960’s the discharge berth was used only by the occasional vessel or by the company’s barges and as a base for their crews together with their two tugs. The facilities at south east Alexandra branch dock No.2 were then modernized in 1970 with the demolition of quayside sheds in order to provide an open area for the grab discharge of oilseed cargo direct into road vehicles, the construction of storage tanks and the installation of three grab cranes manufactured by Butters Brothers & Co. Ltd. of Glasgow. The first vessel to use the new facilities was the Soldrott with a cargo of Groundnut Expeller Cake from Nigeria. The ship unfortunately suffered a prolonged period of discharge as the handling of this type of bulk cargo was found to be difficult, especially while building work continued.

Alexandra Silos Limited, a joint venture between LGST and Peter Cremer of Hamburg, was established in 1973 in order to give Peter Cremer a financial stake in the activity, replacing LGST’s initial partner European Grain who transferred their operation to Birkenhead. Other LGST customers subsequently included traders of varying sizes including Continental Grain, Glasson Grain and Grosvenor Grain & Feed. During the mid 1970s, Alfred C. Toepfer (Arkady), their commodity primarily being Tapioca shipments, and J.H. Rayner gained in importance.

In the 1980s, until its closure in 1989, LGST had supplied part of its dock labour allocation to Sheppards for handling scrap metal loading and in the late 1990s, in order to make space for EMR’s fast growing scrap metal storage, processing and ship loading activity using mobile cranes, all of the storage tanks and cranes located at south east Alexandra 2 branch dock were removed. Use of the yellow painted storage tanks, the entrances to which were curtained off in later years to prevent pigeon infestation, had never reached expectation as the mechanism for emptying them did not work satisfactorily, the oilseed material largely being stored in dockside sheds.

South Alexandra 2 Branch Dock, Liverpool

Alba

Seen alongside S.E. Alexandra 2 berth, Liverpool, on 5th September 1988, following completion of discharge of a cargo of oilseed from Bombay, is the 1969 Lübeck built, Trampco type, ALBA. Built for Franz Hagen of Hamburg as CARLO PORR, she had been sold in 1976 to Uiterwijk Lines to trade as DRUCILLA U. Purchased in 1983 by Ilios Shipping Co. S.A. (C.P.Eliopoulos) of Piraeus, she was renamed PERLA, then in 1984 ALTAIR and in 1988 ALBA before being sold at the end of 1988 to Samatour Shipping Company of Alexandria, Egypt. Renamed SALEM TEN, she served Samatour for over ten years until resold locally in 1999 to become FARAH. In 2001 she was sold on to Turkey’s Dogan Marine Line but traded under the new name of FARAHAN only until 29th March 2002 when she was beached at Alang for breaking.

Meryem Ana

This April 1995 photograph is taken in a hardly recognisable Alexandra 2 branch dock, all of the dockside buildings having been demolished and the south side berths now all but dedicated to scrap metal, the three cranes working the KAMALES on S.E. Alex 2 berth also soon to be demolished. The scrap loader is Turkish owned MERYEM ANA, built at Seville in 1972 as CUNARD CARRONADE and recently purchased from Greek owners who had operated her as CHARALAMBOS B. from 1987, having purchased the ship from Onassis who had traded her as OLYMPIC HISTORY since 1978. She was broken up at Alang in March 2002 as EYRE.

East Float, Birkenhead

From 1951 LGST had also managed the discharge and storage of grain cargoes in the East Float, Birkenhead. The pneumatic discharging facilities were however unsuitable for most oilseed cargoes. The Birkenhead operation, which in the 1980s had acted as a grain export facility, plus the Coburg/Brunswick granaries in the south docks area of Liverpool, were reportedly the most profitable of LGST’s operations. However, due to EEC quotas imposed following the UK’s entry into Europe in 1973, several varieties of grains including grain screening pellets from Canada were not handled again and the facilities were later demolished.

Angelic Power

ANGELIC POWER, owned by the “London Greek” Diamantis Lemos, had in August 1974 loaded a cargo of Brazilian soya beans at Paranagua for part discharge into Birkenhead’s East Float warehouse where she was photographed on 15th September. She sailed from Birkenhead on 20th September bound for Glasgow’s Meadowside Quay to discharge the balance of her cargo. Built by Bartram at Sunderland in 1958 as ERMOUPOLIS and purchased by Lemos in 1968, she was sold in 1981, trading as HELLERA until resold to Pakistan breakers at Gadani Beach where she arrived on 4th December 1982. [Photograph by Norman Hesketh]

Silver Shark

Photographed leaving her East Float berth is the SILVER SHARK on 30th March 1982 having most unusually discharged there a part cargo of Indian rice bran, with port agents Herbert Watson. She returned in December 1982 under the new name of MIGHTY SEA, with the same owners, cargo and agents, discharging in Liverpool. Built at Blyth in 1958 as CAXTON for Transatlantic Carriers and sold to Greece in 1968, she traded for ten years as ELENA M. then for three years as VASSILAKIS before taking the name SILVER SHARK in 1981. She became the JUPITER STAR in 1984 but was beached at Gadani Beach on 16th September of that year to be broken up.

North Huskisson 3 Branch Dock, Liverpool

Following the closure of the sugar refinery in 1981, LGST took over the bulk stevedoring operation in North Huskisson 3 branch dock which was then used for AFS. The vast majority of the cargo was transported by road to dockside storage sheds pending its sale to the compounders. These facilities were closed when a new terminal was built on the adjacent quayside on Canada 1 branch dock.

Nissos Kefallonia

Photographed in North Huskisson 3 branch dock, Liverpool, in early March 1989 is the SD14 type NISSOS KEFALLONIA discharging a cargo of rice bran and mango extract loaded at Kakinada on the east coast of India. Built in 1970 as MIGUEL DE LARRINAGA, she had been purchased by Vergottis is 1975 to trade as VERGSTAR until 1978, then as VARDIANI as which she was laid up in December 1982 at Argostoli where she was renamed ATROTOS in 1986. Towed to Eleusis in January 1987, she was there sold to the Agoudimos Brothers and renamed NISSOS KEFALLONIA, initially managed by Flandermar but by early 1989 by Globe Shipping Managers. Soon sold to North Korea, she was renamed HAE GUM GANG early in 1990 and finally CITI VENTURE in 1996 for the delivery voyage to Alang where she arrived on 12th September that year to be broken up.

Kasos

Seen entering Langton lock, Liverpool, on 20th May 1984 is the Syros registered KASOS with a cargo of Canadian gluten pellets for discharge in Huskisson 3 branch dock. A B26 type bulk carrier built by Austin & Pickersgill in 1976 for Mavroleon Brothers as CAMILLA M. and renamed KASOS in 1979, she was sold in 1986 to G.M.Lignos to trade until 1997 under the Cyprus flag as ANNA. Resold in 1997 her name was amended to HANNA, then HANNA D. in 2000, and she finally arrived at Shenzhen in March 2003 as NICHOLAS TRADER.

Anna (Cy)

The Cyprus flagged ANNA, the former KASOS described above, is here seen in Huskisson 3 branch dock discharging a cargo of Indian rice bran and sunflower seed in September 1988 loaded at Kakinada. Confusingly, a sister ship, also named ANNA but flying the St. Vincent & Grenadines flag, had also called at Liverpool in September 1988 with a cargo of grain.

Anna (Sv)

Operated by Transocean Maritime Agencies of Monaco between 1986 and 1992, ANNA (SV flag), was photographed sailing from Liverpool late on 5th September 1988 edging towards Gladstone lock. She had been delivered to Mavroleon in 1975 as ANNA M., was renamed VITINA in 1979, traded as NICOLO ELISA between 1992 and 2005 and was then broken up in 2006 as ANGEL.

West Float, Birkenhead

Rea Bulk Handling Limited (RBH), latterly owned by Ocean Transport & Trading plc, operated a competing bulk discharge facility in the West Float, Birkenhead. R. & J. H. Rea was a firm of coal merchants and stevedores whose founder Russell Rea had started business in Liverpool in 1872. Rea Limited was created in 1918 with Alfred Holt’s Ocean Steamship Company subsequently gaining control.

Cavendish quay, equipped with two specialist “goose neck” cranes, was the main berth used for discharge of AFS in Birkenhead with the balance discharged at the adjacent Duke Street wharf. In the 1980s around 120,000 tonnes of AFS was handled annually at these berths. European Grain & Shipping Limited, who had contracted with RBH for Birkenhead discharge after parting with LGST in the mid 1970s, were the largest importer of oilseed cargoes into the Mersey from India. However, by the mid 1980s, the dusty nature of the bulk cargo discharge operation came to the attention of environmentalists and, in order to avoid immediate closure, dust suppression equipment was installed.

Al Johffa

Seen in the River Mersey approaching Alfred lock, Birkenhead, on 23rd July 1984 is the AL JOHFFA, listed as bringing a small parcel of 1,500 tonnes of rice bran for discharge at Cavendish wharf. Built at Emden in 1957 as GEMSTONE for the London based Alvion S.S. Corp, she was sold in 1975 to Arabian Maritime Transport (Amar Line) of Jeddah and renamed AL HIJAZI. Purchased in 1983 by Ahmed Abdul Qawi Bamaodah and renamed AL JOHFFA, she continued to be managed by Univan Ship Management of Hong Kong but arrived at Alang on 1st May 1985 to be broken up.

Cavendish Quay

Feng Shuo

The process of unloading the often dusty oilseed cargoes can be seen in this photograph of FENG SHUO working on Cavendish Quay, Birkenhead, in September 1985. The cargo is grab discharged through hoppers into rail or road wagons. FENG SHUO, built in 1963 at Tamise, Belgium, as IRENE S. LEMOS, which then traded for Fafalios as MAIROULA between 1973 and 1983, and after two years as the Greek PINTO, had been purchased by China earlier in 1985. Managed by the Hong Kong based Yick Fung Shipping & Enterprises, FENG SHOU was in 1986 sent to breakers at Huangpu.

Suda

The unloading process can also be clearly seen in this photograph of SUDA alongside Cavendish Quay in February 1985. Built at Szczecin in 1965 as ENERGETYK and sold in 1983 by Poland to Ceylon flag interests, she had traded as KARUNA until arriving in India in November 1984 to be briefly renamed SAMAN before taking the name SUDA as which she was beached at Chittagong on 19th October 1985 to be broken up.

Duke Street Wharf

Safina-E-Haider

Work had temporarily halted on discharging SAFINA-E-HAIDER when photographed at Duke Street Wharf, Birkenhead, in January 1982. Built by Fairfield at Glasgow in 1963 as LANCASHIRE for Bibby Line and purchased by Pan-Islamic of Karachi in 1970, SAFINA- E-HAIDER had only recently passed back to Pan-Islamic after operating for the National Shipping Corporation of Pakistan between 1974 and 1980. She was eventually broken up at her home port of Karachi, being beached on 8th February 1993 for that purpose. Although RBH, as part of Ocean’s shipping division, closed for business in 1989, bulk and neobulk cargo handling has continued in Birkenhead up to the present day, albeit not AFS which had ceased by the end of the 1990s, the ‘goose neck’ cranes being demolished in 2008.

Bromborough And Garston

Occasionally deep sea ships with AFS cargoes called into the smaller Mersey ports of Garston and Bromborough Dock. In September 1982 it was reported in Lloyd’s List that SAUDI CROWN had loaded her cargo of oilseed for Garston but was too deep to enter that port. Presumably due to competitors’ facilities at Liverpool and Birkenhead not being an alternative, she finally discharged in the little used Bromborough Dock which was filled in during the 1990s.

Bromborough

Saudi Crown

It was a surprise on the Saturday morning of 25th September 1982 to find SAUDI CROWN, having just arrived from India, anchored off Gladstone Lock, Liverpool. She returned to Mersey Bar to wait for another week before berthing in Bromborough (pictured outside the Dock on arrival), taking until 4th November to complete discharge of her cargo of oilseed. SAUDI CROWN, built at Landskrona in 1962 as LENA CHRISTINA BRODIN, which traded between 1965 and 1979 as KARIBA for Deutsche Afrika Linien, was broken up in China, arriving at Qinying in November 1984 for that purpose.

Link Harmony

Seen approaching Bromborough Dock on 7th April 1981 is the Greek owned LINK HARMONY with a full cargo of oilseed from India. Built at Burntisland in 1961 for the London based Phocean Ship Agency (Michael N. Eustathiou) as MARIETTA, and renamed MARIETTA E. in 1962, she became Overlink Maritime’s LINK HARMONY in 1980. After being laid up at Igoumenitsa for about one year, she suffered a fire on 6th February 1983 and demolition of the ship consequently commenced at Piraeus in October 1983.

Garston

Al Medina

Berthed in Garston Docks on 2nd April 1983 is the Univan managed, Saudi Arabian owned, AL MEDINA which had been built in 1958 at Elsinore as COLORADO for D.F.D.S. who had sold her in 1968 to East Africa National Shipping Lines to operate as UGANDA until 1980. As the Univan managed KITMEER she was then purchased by Ahmed Abdul Qawi Bamaodah in 1981 and renamed AL MEDINA. Trading in the Gujarat area in January 1983, she loaded a cargo of oilseed for Garston and Rotterdam. On the transfer to Holbud as manager in 1986 she was renamed A.ALAMDAR, finally arriving at Alang, Gujarat, on 21st April 1988 for breaking.

Conclusion

Following the building of Seaforth Grain Terminal in the 1960s, the compounders and grain millers, who had planned to bring to the terminal ships of up to 75,000 tons carrying animal feedstuffs and grain ships of up to 34,000 tons, had thought that a rundown of the old ways of working was imminent. However, due to industrial disputes, for a long period of time following its completion in July 1972, Seaforth grain terminal stood idle and its impact on the carriage of AFS cargoes consequently did not take full effect until the 1990’s. Meanwhile, in 1987 a competitive Mersey Docks & Harbour Company bulk handling venture named ‘Merlin’ was established and, as volumes declined and competition increased, both Liverpool Grain Storage and Rea Bulk Handling ceased business in 1989. The use of Merlin’s facility in Canada Dock has also diminished in recent years with the increased use of berths on the west side of Seaforth Dock. It will be interesting to see where the AFS imports are handled once the ‘Liverpool 2’ container terminal takes over that area.

All photographs are owned by the author unless otherwise stated.