Seaham Harbour Dock Company in County Durham plans to woo timber companies with its £20m, 270,000ft² distribution centre which is scheduled for completion at the end of the year.
The inter-linked warehousing will feature 5m-high load-bearing walls to retain stored materials, including timber, and 52,000ft² of open storage bays. A 92ft-long all-weather canopy linking warehousing to a purpose-built rail terminal will ensure materials are kept dry. The twin-track terminal has two switches and is designed to take standard 140m-long trains.
Managing director Mervyn Blades said: ‘Another important thing is that the new site is on the A19, a main trunk road between Teesside and Tyneside.’
The Port of Seaham can accommodate vessels of up to 8,000 tonnes along 900m of berth.
Mr Blades said: ‘We are trying to change the port into a distribution centre with a port attached.
‘At present we handle everything from logs and sawn timber to board products. Product is brought into the port warehousing and then distributed, but we would like to think of doing something more than that – especially as we have our own lorry fleet.’
Between 80,000-100,000 tonnes of timber is handled a year – accounting for about 12% of the tonnage total – and the aim is to increase the amount.
The project has been funded through the company’s own money and through assistance from the Regional Development Agency and other grants.
