The lighters can be moved to a pier or quay for discharged or driven up on the beach and unloaded on the beach. The LCU and LCM boats were designed for this method of operation. However, in a tidal area the riverbanks are steep and muddy and overgrown with impassible vegetation. Clearance of the cargo off the beach was also a major problem. Ammunition ships are seldom discharged at a pier because of the danger of collateral damage if the blow up.
Petroleum tankers have their own special needs.
General cargo and containerized cargo was discharged at the available piers but ammunition was discharged at Cat Lai and moved by barge to the ammo dumps at Long Binh and bomb storage at Bien Hoa. The harbor river system was usually clogged with boats moving cargo from ships to its next destination. There was a constant danger of attack from the river banks by rockets or water mines. Major operations by large Infantry units were necessary to protect these movements. Army boat units were used in direct support of these operations when the combat troops were operating in the area.