Belfast Harbour: Cruises, Cranes and Cargo

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.

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! Belfast Harbour Police Constable Gloria does a speed check on the ever-busy harbour streets. It’s not long before she stops a driver, who is well over the 30mph speed limit. We return to Harland & Wolff, where we left the workers protesting at the yard’s gates in a bid to save their jobs. This week, we’re with the workers as they return to work, after their occupation led to a buyer for the yard. Later, electrical engineer Robert carries out checks on one of the epic cranes, Samson. After nine weeks of occupation, he needs to make sure that everything is still in working order. 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.

We see trucker Christina as she crosses the Irish Sea, follow the staff who ensure a smooth ferry ride, and we visit the harbour's scrapyard to see where our old cars end up.