Hyster Fortens LPG trucks were selected for their environmental performance and low exhaust emissions.

UK firm George Hammond Plc has purchased a fleet of 10 Hyster Fortens LPG forklifts from Barloworld Handling to handle fresh fruit at the Port of Dover.

The only general stevedoring and freight handling company at the port, George Hammond discharges and stores fresh produce from ships operated by Africa Express Line and Seatrade Reefer with weekly services from West Africa and Central America.

Typical cargo includes palletised bananas, pineapples and melons.

"We provide an efficient, fast, safe and careful produce-handling operation at the Port of Dover and the materials handling fleet is a critical element" explains James Ryeland, managing director of George Hammond, Port and Marine Services.

Ryeland says "maximum availability" of the forklift fleet is imperative as the ships are in and out quickly and the produce is sorted and transferred immediately into temperature-controlled stores or direct to transport.

Cranes transfer pallets from the ships to the quayside where the new Hyster trucks, fitted with double and treble pallet handlers, transport the perishables directly into ambient transit sheds. The produce is then scanned and either cross-docked and loaded straight into customer vehicles or immediately transferred to the 5,500 pallet capacity temperature-controlled store.

"We are usually the first port of call for these vessels and the majority discharge only part-cargoes at Dover," Ryeland says.

"Sometimes, the ships arrive back to back, so a reliable forklift fleet is essential for continuous operation and to ensure we offer a 24-hour, flexible service," Ryeland says. "We own all our trucks and maintain them ourselves with full support from Barloworld as we need it."

The new Hyster Fortens LPG trucks were also selected due to their environmental performance and low exhaust emissions. This is important to George Hammond as the trucks are used inside the temperature- controlled storage areas and exhaust emissions can speed up the ripening process of bananas.

After the delivery of the new 3.5 tonne Hyster forklifts, George Hammond now uses a total fleet of 30 units to handle about 6,000 pallets a week (300,000 pallets a year) and, on average, despatches about 70 road vehicles a day for UK and European distribution.

"We have bought Hyster equipment for many years as they are extremely robust machines," James says, commenting that they bought a different branded fleet five years ago that did not stand the test of time.

The value of the contract is confidential.