Friday, May 31, 2019 - 10:39 by ce-press
Solent Stevedores (SS) is a specialist port operator working throughout the UK, Channel Islands and Singapore. The company operates long-term contractual activities in Southampton, the River Thames, DP World London Gateway, St Helier in Jersey and Immingham.
“Every year company staff greet over 1.8 million passengers, load 2.5 million suitcases and handle 120,000 tonnes of provisions across 400 turnaround calls [ie about 80% of cruise vessels in Southampton], nearly a 100% increase in business since 2010,” explained Tom Dynes, operations manager Southampton. At Marina Bay in Singapore, SS handles a further 250 turnaround calls annually.
The company’s full-time cruise department and management team of more than 180 personnel are dedicated to providing the highest levels of customer service to cruiselines and their passengers, including mooring operations, baggage handling, stores handling, mobility assistance and porterage services. A fleet of over 50 state-of-the-art machines and other specialist equipment, fabricated in-house, ensures these services are achieved seamlessly.
All SS staff understand the need to provide outstanding service in a safe environment. The company consistently strives to improve the service offered to customers through innovation, investment, feedback, and through measuring performance and is accredited to ISO9001 and ISO14001 Quality and Environmental standards.
The company recently took delivery of 33 fully-electric counter-balance forklift trucks, representing an investment of £1m (€1.14m), from STILL Materials Handling in preparation for the 2019 cruise season in Southampton.
Dynes commented: “Keeping our employees safe is paramount, and the new safety features on the RX-20 are industry-leading. Our staff pride themselves on providing the highest level of customer service and by investing in the best equipment, we hope to further improve efficiency whilst the exciting growth of cruise at the Port of Southampton continues.
“We also continue to work closely with ABP to further reduce the amount of emissions generated by our port operations and we are proud to have an entire fleet of 100% electric fork lift trucks operating across all four cruise terminals. “
Solent Stevedores has recently signed a five-year deal with Carnival UK, in which it will continue to provide in-port stevedoring and turnaround services to around 300 Carnival Corp & plc branded ships calling at the Port of Southampton each year until 2024.
