July 2009
Hull container terminal exceeds PD’s expectations
PD Ports (PDP) has been highly commended for its recent handling of a specialist project cargo, which sailed into Hull Container Terminal (HCT) on the Beluga Federation vessel in June. PDP was awarded the contract by international freight forwarders, Transcar Projects Ltd, to handle the project cargo, despite strong competition from other port operations on the Humber.
The cargo was intended for the BP power station at Saltend, where it will form part of the station’s cooling system. The location of the container terminal and close proximity to the power station, all complemented PDP’s winning service offering. The discharge of the Beluga Federation, which carried the project cargo from Kandla, India, took three days and involved the handling of four heavy lifts, two weighing in at 135 tonnes each and two at 94 tonnes each. A further 73 cargo lifts of up to 37 tonnes each were also unloaded. The successful discharge of the Beluga Federation went without incident or disruption to any of the terminal’s other operations.
Transcar commended PDP on the smooth handling of the whole project and was very impressed by the attitude of the PD Ports team. Transcar operations manager, Di Kenny, said: “I am very encouraged to work with such a professional team and impressed by their flexible approach to ever changing demands as well as their ability to handle such specialised cargo efficiently and safely.” PD Ports has operated HCT since 1990. In 2008, PDP entered a new agreement to operate HCT for up to a further 8 years and this will include during its lifetime some £4 million additional investment by PD Ports to improve the overall efficiency of the facility.
Elsewhere, PD Logistics, part of the PD Ports Group, has gained national recognition for its contribution toward achieving health & safety excellence through its Group wide training scheme, winning the training award at the annual UKWA (UK Warehouse Association) Awards in London in June. “The judges found it was a highly competitive field of entries, said Roger Williams, Chief Executive Officer, UKWA. “But, at a time when there are temptations to cut training and marketing budgets, PD Logistics was bold enough – and wise enough to invest in its most precious asset – its workforce. Well done, PD Logistics.” PD Logistics made significant investment to drive consistent improvements in safety performance in 2008 and its programme of education and training made an immediate impact on the business with a 20% reduction in RIDDOR (reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations) accidents, and an 11% decrease in all accidents during the year.
Following on from this success, PD Logistics introduced a programme of work based training, leading to the award of NVQ level 2 qualifications for all employees who were eligible. Five employees were selected to become the programmes NVQ assessors and work towards their individual A1 NVQ Assessor qualification. They were given full training and support both externally and internally to complete the assessments. This resulted in 84 employees completing the NVQ in 2008, and a further 50 waiting for external verification. PD Logistics’ aim was to ensure that all the knowledge learnt through classroom training was actually being taken into and fully applied in the workplace. The NVQ was a good way of assessing this was achieved.
Russ McCallion, Group HR Director for PD Ports, said: “We are delighted that our commitment to training has been recognised by the UKWA. We have already seen direct very positive results in the reduction in accidents across the business, as well as in a more motivated and skilled workforce. This further cements our commitment to developing the well being of our employees as well as enhancing their skills base. “In the longer term, we have safety improvement plans to drive accident levels lower still, including further safety passport and operator skills training, which will help people to do their jobs in the safest way possible. Safety is everyone’s responsibility and I’m confident that this responsibility is in safe hands, ours!” The UKWA award is one of two accolades won this year by PD Logistics for its commitment to the highest levels of health and safety. The logistics provider was also awarded the North Lincolnshire annual health and safety award for its Humber operations in March.
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