Dover cultivates fruitful partnership with George Hammond

Seatrade’s new Rayo service from Ecuador will carry bananas for Morrisons, Fyffes, Winfresh and Dole Fresh UK. This service also calls into Marin, Spain to combine with the CeltIberian service, this offers a two-day onwards passage to Dover for seasonal fruits and vegetables. Africa Express Line (AEL) will continue to utilise the port, their ships carrying bananas and pineapples from The Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana for receivers such as Tesco, Compagnie Fruitiere, Del Monte, Fyffes, Canavese and Simba.  Seasonal vegetables from Senegal for receivers Barfoots of Botley and Dole Fresh UK are also carried in containers on deck. A large percentage of this cargo is cross docked, within a day of arrival, back to the near continental ripening facilities. Seatrade’s ColoRica service, which now sails direct to Hamburg, has just been replaced by their Seaban service, which carries bananas from Colombia and Costa Rica for Tesco, Mack Multiples, SH Pratt, Morrisons (Global Pacific Produce), Fyffes and Keelings. Fresh Del Monte also continues to ship significant volumes on the Africa Express Line weekly service to Dover.  Operationally, customers already receive extended loading times, when in excess of 100 vehicles a day are loaded, whilst still maintaining an enviable ship discharge rate of 200 pallets per gang hour. Hammond’s have also recently invested in a new fleet of Hyster fork trucks, improved flooring and installed ethylene scrubbing devices in all of their temperature controlled stores. Facilities at the terminal will also be improved with the addition of extra electricity plug-in points and a purpose built Quality Assurance facility. James Ryeland, Managing Director, George Hammond PLC praised the partnership between the port and his company; “Our relationship with the Port of Dover continues to pay dividends with their ongoing support over the past year. This joint effort is now bearing fruit with the addition of the new Rayo service. Our business continues to grow and attract major names in reefer shipping which will benefit from our wealth of experience and dedicated personal service.” Kate O’ Hara, Head of Commercial and Marketing, Port of Dover said; “We are delighted to welcome the new Rayo service. The fresh produce trade, operated at Dover’s Cargo Terminal in the Eastern Docks, is an important part of our trade customer mix and one which we continue to fully support in any way we can.”