Every minute the ship is sitting by the pier not being loaded or unloaded, money is lost. Ships traveling are to their destination are making shipping companies money. The time that it takes to unload a cargo ship varies significantly and can take up to 30 days. This is a result of a variety of factors. Timing of when ships arrive, limited pier access and the time it takes for crane operators to safely move all the cargos to the shore for inspections.