Hong Kong Forklift Olympics

     If anyone cares to claim that driving a forklift or building up cargo pallets isn’t fun they clearly have never attended the annual Forklift Driving and Pallet Building Competition, hosted by Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd aka Hactl.
     This event has been run in various formats for decades, even back to Kai Tak days, but more recently takes place adjacent to the huge Hactl terminal, this year under cloudless blue skies.
     44 competitors from 10 teams from Air Canada, Cargolux, China Southern Airlines, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Air, Finnair, IAG Cargo, Japan Airlines plus a Hactl team competed to breakdown a loaded pallet, transfer the contents using a forklift and reload as much as possible into a smaller contour load. A further 80+ supporters provided loads of encouragement.
     All this against the clock with a cut off time of 60 minutes with points for the best use of available volume and under the watchful eye of the judges handing out penalties.
     This year long-time participant Japan Airlines swept all the top honours, claiming Overall Champion and winning the Forklift Competition, Forklift Driving Safety Award, and Pallet Building Competition, but it was a fiercely fought race.
     And of course, when it comes to safety everyone was a winner.|
     While the judges were tearing down the loads looking for errors such as incorrect contours, poor DG spacing and unstable loading, the fun really ramped up with the singing and dancing competition, with the various teams putting on some very polished performances!
     As the largest cargo terminal in the world’s busiest air cargo airport, Hactl puts a huge effort into making this event an annual event, and particularly this year as it is Hactl’s 50th anniversary, we even had the catering by Hong Kong’s iconic Peninsula Hotel—hard to beat.
     This wonderful traditional event in Hong Kong gets a big thanks to everyone who made it possible including officials, judges, and the staff and management of Hactl.
     Thanks to the great spirit of our community. Folks departed this day feeling good all over.
Bob Rogers