UK – The happenings at Southampton’s container port last month illustrated just how varied the scope of the freight handling business can be. The photograph gives an indication of the more unusual announcement but in less unconventional news DP World proved it is not just at its deep water London Gateway facility on the Thames where the group is investing, with the arrival of six brand new Kalmar straddle carriers which arrived on a RoRo vessel, direct from the manufacturing plant in Gdynia, Poland for DP World Southampton.

The new box movers arrived as the completion of the new deep sea container berth at the terminal which has been constructed during the £150 million development project by Associated British Ports (ABP) to ensure that the latest generation of ultra large container ships can be accommodated at the port. The six diesel electric straddle carriers can lift three boxes high twin lift capability, which will provide the terminal with the advantage of having more machines that are able to undertake twin discharge from beneath the terminal’s cranes.

As with London Gateway, the approach channel at Southampton requires deepening to allow the passage of the giant, new, deep draught vessels which are capable of carrying 18,000 TEU and ABP realised the works are essential to ensure they can maintain competition with other UK deep water facilities. Dredging has already begun and it is anticipated that the work will be complete before the year’s end.

The problems which face a port such as Southampton however are manifold and, as with airports, flocks of birds, if allowed to flourish, can cause problems. It may be less serious than a flight of geese posing a huge risk to an aircraft but the vast quantities of gulls which can appear at an industrial site on the coast can inflict all manner of damage. Southampton is the UK's No.1 vehicle handling port, with around 750,000 vehicles passing over the quayside during 2013, and gulls’ feeding habits of dropping seashells from height pose a risk of damaging the ranks of new cars awaiting import or export on the port estate.

ABP decided to take a natural approach to pest control and has employed the services of Layla Bennett and her 10-year-old Harris Hawk, Hope. Experienced hawk handler Layla is part of the expert team from Rentokil Pest Control which has been tasked with keeping the port pest-free for the next two years. She will be flying Hope to scare off nuisance birds from the port estate without causing them any harm.

The bird flying work is just one element of the contract between ABP and Rentokil Pest Control, which will tackle all manner of unwanted visitors to the port and covers all pest species. The arrangement will also see Rentokil tackle feral pigeons at ABP's Town Quay and rodents on the port estate as well as monitoring and controlling insects on site. The contract was awarded after a competitive tender involving four pest control companies. Southampton Port Director Nick Ridehalgh said:

"The gulls are a genuine problem for our vehicle handling business but we were keen to take an environmentally sound and humane approach to the issue. Hawking represents a natural way to drive the birds elsewhere without causing any harm and protect our growing business."

Photo: Layla Bennett and Hope