One of Shoreham Port's new forklifts

Shoreham Port has bought a GBP2 million (USD2.57 million) fleet of new forklifts to move timber, one of the main materials handled at the harbour.

The 35 Yale Veracitor trucks can lift up to 5.5 T at a time and will be used to load about 70 lorries a day.

Like other operational equipment at the harbour, the new forklift fleet will be fuelled with a low-emission gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel recently acquired by the port.

GTL is biodegradable and results in less odour, smoke and engine noise than conventional diesel fuel, creating a better working environment for the Shoreham Port team and the wider local community, according to port officials.

The contract is the biggest to date for specialist supplier Solent Forklift Trucks, part of the Forkway Group.

Shoreham Port is the largest timber handling port on the south coast of England with extensive experience of and equipment for timber handling. Last year alone, over 450,000 cubic metres of timber was handled and stored in either the 47,000 sqm of dedicated, modern dry warehousing or quayside paved open storage.