AN ACR FLC TAXIING B727 FREIGHTER COLLIDES WITH CARGO CONTAINER WHILE BEING MARSHALLED BY COMPANY GND PERSONNEL.

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ARRIVED AT GATE ON RAMP AND OBSERVED THE MARSHALLER WAS NOT PRESENT. I STOPPED THE ACFT IN THE TAXI LANE; SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND WAITED FOR THE MAINT PERSONNEL TO CLR THE GATE. AFTER A SHORT WAIT; I OBSERVED A MARSHALLER COME FROM A MAINT BLDG AND POS HIMSELF ON THE CTR STRIPE OF THE TAXI LINE OF THE GATE. ANOTHER MAINT PERSON APPEARED WITH THE GND PWR CORD AND MOTIONED TOWARDS THE MARSHALLER AT WHICH TIME THE MARSHALLER RAISED HIS WANDS AND STARTED TO DIRECT ME IN. WHILE I HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THE MARSHALLERS TO CLR THE GATE; I TOOK NOTE OF SEVERAL (10-20) LOADING PERSONNEL SITTING ON TUGS; STANDING OR GENERALLY WAITING AT THE GATE TO UNLOAD THE ACFT. THEY HAD FULL VIEW OF THE AREA (WHICH GAVE ME A SENSE OF CONFIDENCE IN ADDITION TO THE MARSHALLER AND THE PERSON ON THE PWR CORD DIRECTING ME IN; THAT THE GATE WAS CLR). I OBSERVED SEVERAL CONTAINERS; DOLLIES; TUGS AND PERSONNEL CONGESTING THE AREA. THE FOUL LINES ALL APPEARED TO BE CLR; THE ACFT SILHOUETTE WAS CLR WITH A TUG HOOKED UP TO 2 CONTAINERS APPEARING CLR BUT PARKED BEHIND THE SILHOUETTE. I RELEASED THE PARK BRAKE PULLED AHEAD AND STARTED TO NOSE IN. THE MARSHALLER CONTINUED TO MOTION ME WITH THE WANDS FORWARD AND I OVER CTR TURNED IN TO POS THE ACFT ON CTRLINE INTO THE GATE. AS I SLOWLY BROUGHT THE ACFT FORWARD I COMMENTED 'THE L WING WOULD BE CLOSE.' I SLOWLY MOVED AHEAD AND ABOUT 15-20 FT FROM THE GATE FELT A SLIGHT BUMP AND IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE ACFT. AS I DID SO; I NOTICED THE MARSHALLER WAS STILL DIRECTING ME TO TAXI FOR A SECOND OR TWO THEN I BELIEVE THE OTHER MAINT PERSON TOLD HIM TO STOP. AT THAT TIME HE CROSSED HIS WANDS. MY NOSEWHEEL WAS EXACTLY ON CTRLINE AND ONLY 15-20 FT FROM THE GATE. AT THAT TIME I COULDN'T SEE THE L WING AND REALLY COULDN'T MONITOR WHAT CLRNC I HAD AT THAT POINT. THE CONTAINER STRUCK THE LEADING EDGE SLAT ABOUT 1 FT IN FROM THE WINGTIP. I THEN WAITED FOR SAFETY TO COME OUT BEFORE DEPLANING EVEN THOUGH MAINT WANTED ME TO MOVE THE JET FORWARD.