Manchester Quest, conversion of a general cargo ship to a container vessel

The conversion from a break bulk cargo vessel to a container ship basically involved the removal of all the cargo space subdivision and the creating of container cells. In order to give a greater cargo capacity, the existing upper deck aft of the bridge was extended forward to meet the forecastle, thus creating a new main deck. This increased the depth of the vessel from 39 ft 6 in. to 47 ft 6 in. and results in a flush- decked hull form. Once the cargo space was cleared and adequate hull strengthening incorporated, the container guide system was fitted. This enables six tiers of 20 ft standard ISO containers to be carried,ix across the breadth of the vessel. Each transverse cell is sealed by a pontoon hatch cover, supplied by MacGregor. Apart from installing container stowage arrangements, it has been necessary to modify the ballast system and to install heeling and anti- rolling tanks. The vessel was formerly known as the Manchester Miller.