A truck which was allegedly damaged during unloading has been sitting on the docks in Hamilton for almost six months after the company alleged to have caused the damage refused to pay for it.

?In May I got a permit to bring in a new truck,? explained Lines Food and Liquor owner Richard Powell. ?I?m also in the wholesale business, I sell Wonderbread.

?I spoke to Freisenbruch-Meyer about insuring it, but it got to New Jersey a week early ... I wasn?t expecting it until June 11 or 12, when I would?ve had time to insure it, but it got here on June 4. Therefore it arrived in Bermuda (on the ) uninsured.?

?It was still sitting on the ship and Stevedoring Services were unloading, and they struck it with a container,? said Mr. Powell. ?They put a hole in it.?

The damage is to a piece of aluminium which runs the length of the truck, binding the side to the roof. Near the front of the vehicle is a hole which Mr. Powell described as ?the size of a hand?, which has been temporarily patched up. Mr. Powell said one company on the Island estimated the damage would cost between $12-14,000 to fix as the truck would have to be sent overseas. However, he said, Stevedoring Services estimated the damage at $2,700.

According to the Stevedoring Services, said Mr. Powell, Bermuda Motors had estimated parts would cost $85. ?A piece of aluminium that length for $85?? he said. ?That?s ridiculous.?

He called in Rayclan to do a third estimate, he said. Rayclan also approached Bermuda Motors about parts ? and were told parts would cost close to $700, not $85. ?There?s something fishy going on,? said Mr. Powell. The final Rayclan estimate ran at about $6,000.

The truck has been sitting exposed to the elements ? including Hurricane Fabian ? since June, and Mr. Powell is now concerned it will not run properly even if the damage caused by the container is repaired.

?The skipper of the vessel saw them do it and filed a report to New York. There?s no doubt they did the damage. Since then it?s been a constant battle trying to fix it. It was uninsured ... But Stevedoring Services has coverage for this anyway. They are covered but they are fighting it tooth and nail ? why? I want it put back in the state it was in when it arrived.?

Calls to Stevedoring Services were not returned last week.