Shoreham Port is investing around £1.6m in material handling equipment over the next few months.
The investment will include the first hydraulic crane with a timber handling spreader in the UK.
Alan Motterham, general manager of Sussex Port Forwarding, said: “You see this type of crane in Sweden, Latvia and so on, but it has never taken off in this country where we always use rope cranes.”
The investment also includes a Volvo L150 front loader, a Bobcat skid-steer loader, two terminal tractors, two bulk and two flatbed trailers, and 12 replacement forklift trucks.
Mr Motterham said the new vehicles and equipment would ensure the port achieved its objectives over the coming months.
