New cranes at Dover Cargo Terminal have been instrumental in getting the port new business.
Dover secured a third liner service for 2006 in January with a new service from Central America.
The weekly service, operated by Seatrade Reefers of Antwerp, arrives every Tuesday with bananas from Colombia and bananas, pineapples and seasonal fruits such as melons from Costa Rica.
“One of the key factors in winning this business is the port’s decision to invest over £2 million in two new cranes,” said Kate O’Hara, Head of commercial & marketing at the Port of Dover.
The first Gottwald HMK 170E crane entered service in May last year and has capacity to lift containers over the breadth of a vessel. The second Gottwald HMK 90E was commissioned in April this year and together they have significantly improved discharge rates at the terminal.
Dover Cargo Terminal handled approximately 200,000 pallets in 2005 and the port is expecting a record 2006 with significant growth.
The other two liner services at Dover are operated by Del Monte with vessel arrivals every Monday from Cameroon with bananas and Thursday from Costa Rica with bananas, pineapples and, in season, melons.
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