Unloading cargo in the Galapagos Island is not an easy process. We have been to two islands so far and each island has a distinct process.

On Isabella, the barge “Isabella” anchors in Port Villamil harbor and is unloaded by hand onto smaller barges that transfer goods to the pier where they are again unloaded by hand. The process typically takes 2-3 days and the barge comes approximately every two weeks.

AC Isabella in Puerto Villamil, Isabella Galapagos 

On San Cristobal, a large container ship will anchor far outside Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and containers are transferred by crane onto trucks loaded into a barge. We were anchored next to the concrete pier where the trucks are unloaded and or to watch the process over and over. 

We observed he unloading of one of those ship from Saltair, there were four trucks used in the process, two of them waiting ashore and two on the barge.

waiting loaded trucks waiting on the pier. The emptied containers are going back to the cargo ship

Barge returning from the cargo  ship with two empty trucks

Empty trucks driving off the barge

Loaded truck backing up onto the barge

heading back to the cargo ship

Back on the cargo ship the containers are loaded/unloaded on the truck using the crane of the cargo ship.

The workers on the barge were super friendly and waved as they went by. They live onboard. If you zoom in the next couple photos you will notice the sign for the shower (Duchamp), the hanging laundry and a bunch of bananas at the stern.