19 August 2020
Shoreham Port is taking a significant step to improve local air quality by powering their fleet of forklift trucks, cranes, and other machinery with a low emission Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) fuel. The Port received the first delivery of 30,000 litres of the fuel on Tuesday of this week.
As a Trust Port and certified EcoPort, Shoreham Port continually assesses its environmental impact to develop strategies that will improve air quality and carbon emissions for the benefit of both their valued community and local environment.
GTL fuel is a cleaner-burning diesel alternative derived from natural gas, which burns more cleanly than conventional crude oil-based diesel. Exclusively supplied in the UK by Certas Energy, it is free of unwanted components such as sulphur, metals and aromatics, which make it non-toxic, biodegradable and far less harmful to the environment. It also 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.
The Port’s move to GTL fuel is a giant step towards their aim of reaching net-zero air quality emissions by March 2021. Other initiatives to reach this goal include introducing electric-powered Port vehicles, continuing to develop a biodiversity corridor as a member of the Brighton and Lewes Downs Biosphere Partnership, and installing a water source heat pump at the Port’s fully-serviced business centre Maritime House, among many others.
Tony Parker, Director for Infrastructure & Sustainability commented “We will all be hugely proud at Shoreham Port when we become the first major port in the UK to declare net-zero air quality emissions next year, but we won’t stop there! We will continue to strive towards absolute-zero where the port will be producing no air quality damaging emissions at all. We are also working with Brighton & Hove City, Adur & Worthing Councils and many local businesses to help improve our air quality as widely as we possibly can.“
Category: Sustainability
