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A typical shift

Report to the dispatch hall and find out what you are doing and where. Gear up and get out to the berth. If you are lashing, that is hours of setting and breaking the steel rods and turnbuckles that hold containers down, climbing between stacks. If you are in the hold or on the yard, it is signalling, driving and watching loads swing overhead. Shifts are typically eight hours with overtime available, and the whole operation is timed against how long the ship is allowed to sit.