39 dead in lorry container in Essex, October 2019

[teuchter]

I found reading this useful for understanding how freight arrivals are dealt with at UK ports.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...r-Force-operations-at-east-coast-seaports.pdf

It's only the bigger ports that have a permanent customs/border force presence. There are lots of smaller ports that receive freight from overseas destinations where inspections (either for customs or immigration purposes) are "intelligence led", in other words the majority of what arrives is never inspected. I guess Purfleet falls into that category.

 

[existentialist]

I knew there were docks there. Is there such a thing as a domestic dock?

I guess Holyhead and Pembroke Dock are domestic docks, at least until Brexit...

 

[xenon]

People keep talking about containers being able to be opened from the inside. They may or may not have this facility but surely when stacked in the back of a truck, there's no room to open for argument sake, a one in the middle anyway.

 

[existentialist]

People keep talking about containers being able to be opened from the inside. They may or may not have this facility but surely when stacked in the back of a truck, there's no room to open for argument sake, a one in the middle anyway.

There's a difference between containers and trailers. This was a trailer - it was never going to be stacked anywhere.

 

[not-bono-ever]

No such thing as domestic ports really

 

[strung out]

There's a difference between containers and trailers. This was a trailer - it was never going to be stacked anywhere.

Yeah, there's plenty of goods stacked in the truck too. These trucks get stacked all the way up to the door, so if you're at the back or the middle, but the hatch is somewhere else, you're gonna have trouble accessing it. Unless of course those benevolent people traffickers decide to load the people onto the lorry right next to the escape hatch of course.

 

[xenon]

There's a difference between containers and trailers. This was a trailer - it was never going to be stacked anywhere.

I'm using the word container, not meaning shipping containers but the boxes, whatever, goes in the back of a truck. I mean TBF I've never looked in the back of a truck so maybe my imagination's off. I'd assumed goods were in sealed boxes of some sort, if not on pallets. And that these would be stacked floor to ceiling. If a human could fit in one of these boxes, how would they open it once they've been loaded anyway. And if the truck just had goods on open topped pallets, not really suitable for hiding stow aways in the first place.

This is all very grim of course but probably goes without saying.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I found reading this useful for understanding how freight arrivals are dealt with at UK ports.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...r-Force-operations-at-east-coast-seaports.pdf

It's only the bigger ports that have a permanent customs/border force presence. There are lots of smaller ports that receive freight from overseas destinations where inspections (either for customs or immigration purposes) are "intelligence led", in other words the majority of what arrives is never inspected. I guess Purfleet falls into that category.

Which will be why the people smugglers used it. What a ridiculous situation.

 

[maomao]

I'm using the word container, not meaning shipping containers but the boxes, whatever, goes in the back of a truck. I mean TBF I've never looked in the back of a truck so maybe my imagination's off. I'd assumed goods were in sealed boxes of some sort, if not on pallets. And that these would be stacked floor to ceiling. If a human could fit in one of these boxes, how would they open it once they've been loaded anyway. And if the truck just had goods on open topped pallets, not really suitable for hiding stow aways in the first place.

This is all very grim of course but probably goes without saying.

I've unloaded containers and they tend to be crammed full with all that they'll hold. Or ones for a medium sized furniture retailer I used to work for are anyway.

 

[strung out]

I've unloaded containers and they tend to be crammed full with all that they'll hold. Or ones for a medium sized furniture retailer I used to work for are anyway.

Same - I've unpacked chiller lorries full of frozen goods and they're stuffed completely full. Not sure where people are expecting the escape hatch to be located, but if there was one, I'd think it highly unlikely that people being trafficked would be loaded to allow access to it.

 

[kebabking]

a sizable proportion of the people smuggling/traffiking that goes on is no different to the 18th century slave trade - its not 'welcome to England, off you go and make your fortune..', its 'get off the lorry, and work 100 hours a week in this sweatshop, sleep in this bed, and you'll be here till you die'.

if there were escape hatches, the traffickers would be welding them closed...

 

[xenon]

I've unloaded containers and they tend to be crammed full with all that they'll hold. Or ones for a medium sized furniture retailer I used to work for are anyway.

Same - I've unpacked chiller lorries full of frozen goods and they're stuffed completely full. Not sure where people are expecting the escape hatch to be located, but if there was one, I'd think it highly unlikely that people being trafficked would be loaded to allow access to it.

Yes, was my only point. Have all the escape hatches you want but if there's no room to get to or actually open them...

 

[andysays]

Two more people arrested (BBC)

Suspicion of murder and conspiracy to traffic

 

[Pickman's model]

Two more people arrested (BBC)

Suspicion of murder and conspiracy to traffic

Two more arrests over 39 lorry deaths

 

[weltweit]

Did anyone comment yet on the GPS for the trailer? I heard something about it lunchtime, it seems the trailer had been bouncing about between UK and EU ports all week before ending up here with all the bodies in it.

 

[not-bono-ever]

That’s not necessarily suspicious as reefers and cabs can swap over as they take on multiple jobs and locations

 

[weltweit]

That’s not necessarily suspicious as reefers and cabs can swap over as they take on multiple jobs and locations

No, except that it could have been an error that the cooling system was turned on. It seems unlikely that the smugglers would put the people in the trailer and switch on the refrigerant system, but perhaps a later driver might have, without knowing there were people on board, switched it on to protect what they thought was their load.

 

[Chilli.s]

Quite distressing on that bbc article about the text from someone being smuggled saying they were suffocating on Tuesday night. Having paid 30 grand.

 

[not-bono-ever]

It’s part of the paperwork relating to a load - unless it’s noted as empty and doesn’t have to be pre cooled for s looming pickup, then the reefer is mostly self contained and the driver only needs to monitor the temp.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Quite distressing on that bbc article about the text from someone being smuggled saying they were suffocating on Tuesday night. Having paid 30 grand.

Yep. Really fucking horrible. Those poor people.

 

[strung out]

Quite distressing on that bbc article about the text from someone being smuggled saying they were suffocating on Tuesday night. Having paid 30 grand.

Family in Vietnam apparently.

 

[kenny g]

Refrigerated shipping containers are pretty spectacular. You basically bung them on a ship, have them plugged in and fresh goods can travel half way across the world.

International Convention for Safe Containers

20' ISO Refrigerated Container | Refrigerated Container | Reefer HK - BSL Refrigerated Container

 

[Teaboy]

That’s not necessarily suspicious as reefers and cabs can swap over as they take on multiple jobs and locations

Was that an auto correct from drivers? Little insight into how your phone's language has been trained.

 

[bluescreen]

Was that an auto correct from drivers? Little insight into how your phone's language has been trained.

LOL. Doesn't it mean refrigerated trailer?

E2A. I'm getting a grip now. None of this is a laughing matter. Apologies.

 

[not-bono-ever]

That’s what they are called in the business- honest

 

[weltweit]

Smugglers are probably using refrigerated trailers now because the port based radars can't see inside them.

But presumably they wouldn't want the refrigeration turned on.

 

[kebabking]

Smugglers are probably using refrigerated trailers now because the port based radars can't see inside them.

But presumably they wouldn't want the refrigeration turned on.

Bit of a giveaway though, isn't it?

 

[pseudonarcissus]

No, except that it could have been an error that the cooling system was turned on. It seems unlikely that the smugglers would put the people in the trailer and switch on the refrigerant system, but perhaps a later driver might have, without knowing there were people on board, switched it on to protect what they thought was their load.

I think the reefer trailers are the whole idea...freezing the inside defeats infra red câmeras looking for live bodies

 

[Sprocket.]

Sadly with the amount of profit the traffickers make it is only too possible to bribe, coerce or threaten someone to look the other way.

 

[bluescreen]

Sadly with the amount of profit the traffickers make it is only too possible to bribe, coerce or threaten someone to look the other way.

Exactly. If just one migrant's family is paying £30,000 as mentioned in the BBC article, the smugglers can practically make their own rules.