Where once these bricks withstood loads from Containers
Now they have to withstand loads from Tourists walking
And Taxis carrying the Tourists Luggage
Port Rashid Cruise Terminal
Around 1978 Sheikh Rashid ordered a purpose built Container Terminal to be constructed at Port Rashid.
Container Terminal pavements have to withstand heavy loadings and resist wear from the constant movement of heavily laden Container Handling Vehicles.
Costains, the Joint Venture Contractor building the Terminal, imported a machine from Netherlands that produced interlocking concrete blocks that were ideal for a Container Terminal.
As it happens these block were also ideal for patios, driveways, footpaths & garages!
Soon Dubai's Residents were addicted to these blocks!
11.5 million bricks were laid in blocks with a manually operated trolley. Bricks had to be made to very accurate dimensions. Initially that proved difficult.
Newly made Bricks were rejected in large quantities. Soon the Contractor had piles of rejected bricks and a problem with their disposal.
These rejected bricks were useless for Port Rashid but ideal for paving Jumeirah's sandy driveways, garden paths, patios and garages.
News spread that anyone could take these rejected bricks for free provided they collected the bricks.
Contractor's piles of rejected bricks soon disappeared while brick paved driveways, garden paths,patios and garages appeared all over Jumeirah.
By 1982, these bricks were everywhere in Dubai!
Bricks were originally laid in a non working Terminal so Workers were not at risk at being run over by Container Equipment. Maintaining these bricks was a different matter!
Today, Terminals are shut down to allow personnel to enter safely.
In 1982 Port Rashid Container Terminal no rules governed how personnel accessed the Terminal area safely.
Workers carried repairs in the midst of constant container movements.
Fortunately there were no accidents that resulted in personnel being injured or worse.
