Belt conveyor self-unloaders have been around for a long time since 1908 on the Great Lakes. This type of ship with a highly automated belt system can discharge independent of any dock handling facilities. Actually, a self-unloading, vessel with a :tong 250-260 ft deck boom, as most Great Lakes types are, can discharge where there is no dock just a river bank or shore line with deep enough water for the captain to be able to nudge the vessel's bow close enough to get the end of the boom over the shore (Fig. 1).
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