Loading and discharging containers is a labour-intensive operation. On a daily basis, close to 1,400 workers are deployed in this operation. The activity is carried out 24 hours per day , divided into three eight-hour shifts with a one-hour meal break per shift (thus the effective work time is seven hours per shift, or 21 hours per day). The author discovered,however, that in practice two hours per shift are ineffective due ti late arrival and extended breaks. This amounts to as much as six hours lost per day, which adds up to 42 hours per week, or 168 hours per month. In the context of a ship turnaround time of two to three day,recuperating this lost time would and three to four additional ships per month,36 to 48 ships per year. Thus, recovering the time that is lost in the form of extended breaks could allow the port to work another 18 to 24 shops per annum.