Ridham dock is situated on the river Swale and can accommodate ships of up to 5000dwt with a maximum length of approximately 100m. The cargoes handled by RST include export grain direct from Kent farms, steel coils and fragmented steel scrap, imported timber, cement, road salt, steel and crushed concrete. On average RST deal with about three ships per week and the ability to handle such diverse cargoes effectively is vital.

The Multidocker is a diesel driven tracked gantry crane with a hydraulically operated jib and the ability to lift up to 7.3 tons at its full reach of 22m. It can be fitted with a number of cargo handling attachments, such as grain, aggregate and scrap grabs, a timber handling device and special equipment to lift steel coils. RST chose the machine principally because of the versatility it offers.

A long jib is vital to the work of the port, where sufficient reach and driver visibility is of prime importance. The Multidocker has a number of features designed specifically to meet the latter. The driver's control cabin can be moved forward at will to improve the operator's view into the ship's hold and closed circuit television cameras on the jib and at the rear of the machine ensure that no hazards are missed.

On its first day of operation the machine impressed the management and staff of RST while loading a coaster with local grain and dealing with each lorry load in less than 10 minutes. If trade continues to grow as predicted the company will consider 24 hour working for the first time.

With the new machine safely installed, the director of RST, James O'Connell said, 'We are hoping that over the coming months the Multidocker will prove to be invaluable to Ridham. When breakdowns occur, replacement parts are becoming difficult to obtain and in downtime alone breakdowns can prove very expensive'.

The Multidocker CH65C was supplied by Swedish manufacturer Multidocker, a member of the shipping and logistics Osterstrom Group. The 115 ton machine was shipped directly to Ridham Dock by coaster and erected on site by Multidocker technicians.