Barloworld Handling will supply four new Hyster forklifts to the busy port that receives up to 1,000 ships annually.

Warrenpoint Harbour in Northern Ireland has awarded Barloworld Handling a contract for the supply of a new fleet of Hyster forklifts.

Barloworld Handling beat five other suppliers to win the contract, which is worth GBP1 million (USD1.6 million) over five years. The company will supply and support four new Hyster H7.0FT Fortens forklifts to the busy port that receives up to 1,000 ships annually.

Harbour engineer Ciaran Cunningham says the latest Fortens trucks are "by far" the best the company has used. "We have used Hyster forklifts in the past and one of the reasons for selecting Barloworld to supply the news trucks is that the previous Hyster models lasted so well."

The forklifts are required to operate around the clock, over 12-hour shifts, transporting bails of timber and steel, and other materials. They will play a key role at the port.

"We mainly handle timber and steel loads and with a 700 m (2,297 ft.) long quay, we simply wouldn't be able to discharge effectively without highly productive forklifts to transport the goods," Cunningham explains.

The trucks have been supplied on a three-year, full-service support contract, offering 24-hour call-out, which is important to the busy operation to maintain the fleet and in the event of a breakdown.

"We have onsite engineers at Warrenpoint but in a 24-hour operation, it is important that the Barloworld service engineers are available 24 hours a day," Cunningham says.

Barloworld Handling has provided a range of equipment and service support to Warrenpoint Harbour over the past 15 years, and has built a strong working relationship with the harbour authority.

Warrenpoint Harbour is strategically located at the head of Carlingford Lough on the economic corridor halfway between Dublin and Belfast on Ireland's east coast.