The cold-store door opened on a stack of crates that could no longer wait for the meeting.
Sela read the berth notice while two dockworkers brought the first load into the shade. The delayed vessel had lost its original slot. The next transfer window could carry the winter station’s shipment or the inland buyer’s paid consignment before the warmer part of the day.
“Both were confirmed,” the dock clerk said.
“I can see that. What’s left at the winter station?”
He opened the receiving report. The station’s usable stock had fallen below its scheduled allowance after a convoy delay. The inland buyer had enough for the immediate interval, though the revised delivery would miss the market it had paid to reach.
Sela asked for the current priority rule. The clerk brought it rather than reciting a version remembered from the last difficult morning.
She checked the dates, the handling requirements, and the remaining window.
“Winter shipment first under this provision. Give the buyer the revised arrival and the delay claim reference. Preserve the original berth confirmation.”
