Maersk Line, Atlantic Basin, 1958 - 1975
In the late 1950s the Atlantic Basin was altered to make it more suited for cargo trucks. To do this roughly the back half of the basin was filled in and a new long metal warehouse shed, with raised loading docks, was built. This is what stands today.
The premier customer for the new space was the Maersk Line, which specialized in transporting cargo from Asia. They began operations ther in 1958, consolidating all their New York operations at Pier 11, Atlantic Basin. They intitially signed a 10 year lease and stayed nearly 20. They left Brooklyn for a container terminal in Newark, NJ, as did other companies, and launched their first containerized service in 1975.
Maersk published a brochure touting their new facility.
Text from the brochure:
Superior service for Exporters and Importers...at New York's newest pier
The facilities of the new $8,000,000 Maersk Line Terminal at Atlantic Basin offer shippers and consignees the quickest, most efficient handling of cargo to and from Far Eastern ports.
Built for the Maersk Line by The Port of New York Authority, Pier 11, Brooklyn, is the largest and most modern on the entire New York waterfront.
[Map showing routes to/and from Atlantic Basin]
LOCATION
One block west of Hamilton Avenue, about two minutes from the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel.
SIZE
Wharf length: 2,050 feet, with entire pier paralleling shore.
Transit shed: 1,800 x 150 feet, offering 270,000 square feet of covered space beneath a single roof. Ample uncovered space adjoins.
STRUCTURE
Of steel frame, with corrugated aluminum walls, aluminum roofing, and asphaltic concrete flooring, the structure is entirely on land.
The pier structure houses the fully air-conditioned pier offices.
Shed has 29 cargo doors on apron side, 27 on inshore side.
TRUCK LOADING-UNLOADING PLATFORM
Extends full length of building and 20 feet wide with overhanging roof for all-weather protection. Elevated 4 feet to cargo floor, facilitating truck loading and unloading at tailgate level.
TRUCK CAPACITY
144 trucks with tailgate delivery can be accommodated at one time.
Waiting time virtually eliminated.
RAIL SHIPMENTS
Atlantic Basin is a short lighterage distance from all rail lines.
FINEST PROTECTION FEATURES
Steel construction and asphaltic concrete flooring reduce fire risk to a minimum.
Temperature-controlled cargo rooms at each end of pier.
Special cargo enclosure for valuable cargo.
Astronomic time switch insures proper lighting at all times.
9-foot cyclone fence surrounds entire terminal area.
CONCENTRATION OF OPERATIONS
Teletype communication between New York office and Terminal guarantees importers and exporters accurate and fast transmission of their instructions. The concentration of all Maersk Line terminal operations under one roof provides further assurance of speedy and competent handling of cargo.
New Maersk Line Terminal, Pier 11, Atlantic Basin, Brooklyn, N. Y. where four Maersk cargo liners can be handled simultaneously.
"The handsome blue-hulled vessels of the Maersk Line are among the finest and fastest in the world.
Now, more than ever, through the facilities of the new Atlantic Basin pier, Maersk ships combine the time-honored traditions of Danish seamanship with the ultimate in modern cargo-handling efficiency.
MOLLER STEAMSHIP COMPANY, INC.
General Agents in The United States and Canada for
A. P. MOLLER, COPENHAGEN
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