People Profiles

On October 22nd, the Boomerang Box left the New York Harbor to travel to its mystery destination. The Boomerang Box was loaded with donated toys that will be distributed to needy children when the Boomerang Box arrives.

But how did the toys get loaded in to the Boomerang Box? And how did the Boomerang Box get to the ship that will carry it to its mystery destination?

Well, that's where Bruce Sheely and the South Kearny Terminal come in.

Bruce is the Terminal Manager for APL's container terminal in South Kearny, New Jersey. Can you locate Kearny, New Jersey on a map? Kearny is located near the head of Newark Bay, very close to New York City. Kearny is a major port and manufacturing center, because it has easy access to major railroad lines, highways, and sea transportation via the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

Shipping company APL operates a container terminal in South Kearny, and it was here - at the South Kearny Terminal with Bruce Sheely's help - that the Boomerang Box's mystery voyage began.

If you have followed the Boomerang Box, you probably have a pretty good idea of all the things that happen at a container terminal. At South Kearny, as at container terminals around the world, cargo containers come and go on ship, truck, and train.

Some containers arrive at the terminal by truck or by train already loaded with goods. Bruce works with several transportation companies, including Pacer Stacktrain and CSX Intermodal, to deliver cargo containers to the terminal. These containers might then be transferred to a different truck or train or loaded on a ship in the harbor to travel to another country.
Other containers arrive at the terminal empty, ready to be loaded before they begin their journey. These containers are loaded with goods that have been stored in warehouses at the terminal. That is what the Boomerang Box did. It arrived at South Kearny empty, and was then loaded with the toys before starting its journey. The photos on this page show the boxes of Toys "R" Us toys being moved from the warehouse at the terminal to be loaded into the Boomerang Box.
Still other cargo containers arrive at the terminal from ships that have traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from other countries. These containers are then transported by truck or train to stores or warehouses all over the United States.

Containers never stay too long at a container terminal. They keep moving, from ship to truck to train. As a result, Bruce's job never gets boring! He has to keep all these containers moving smoothly and quickly. But he has to do this carefully. It's very important that the right container gets to the right place at the right time. If a grocery store in the area is expecting a load of cocoa from the Netherlands, Bruce must make sure that container gets right off the ship and onto the correct truck or train to speed it to the store in time. The store owner sure wouldn't want to see a load of jet airplane parts or lumber instead of the cocoa!

Bruce has had a lot of experience moving cargo. He first moved all over the United States working with liquefied petroleum. That experience got him interested in the way cargo moves around the world. He then started working for CSX Intermodal, coordinating truck and train shipments up and down the East Coast of the United States. Then he went to work as a terminal manager for APL, first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and now in South Kearny.

The Boomerang Box is probably one of the most interesting cargo containers that has come through the South Kearny terminal recently. It's certainly the most colorful! But to Bruce, all cargo containers - whether they're the Boomerang Box or not - get extra-special treatment as they pass through Kearny on their way to places around the world.

Because he helped the Boomerang Box begin its journey, Bruce knows where the Boomerang Box is going. Do you? Take the Great Toy Challenge and see if you can solve the clues to figure it out!

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