Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) has announced that its AGV fleet is now fully battery-powered at Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA).
According to HHLA, CTA will decommission the final diesel-powered container transporter (automated guided vehicle – AGV) in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The new AGV fleet will now consist of 95 battery-powered vehicles that run on renewable electricity. This means that no fossil energy is needed at any stage of the container transit process, from ship to container storage system – everything is now entirely electrified.
By switching to battery-powered AGVs and the associated significant reduction in diesel consumption, approximately 3 million litres of diesel are saved at CTA every year, which is equivalent to around 8,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
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Oliver Dux, Director of Technology at HHLA, said: “The now completed switch to battery-powered AGVs at CTA underlines once more the pioneering role of CTA with regard to sustainability, as we avoid thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions every year thanks to the reduced diesel consumption.
“We will also continue to invest in the electrification of the equipment of the other HHLA terminals in order to achieve climate-neutral operations across the Group by 2040.”
In August, CTA once again received certification as a climate-neutral company from TÜV NORD thank to its 14 container gantry cranes for seaborne handling, the 52 portal cranes in the container block storage facility and the four rail gantry cranes already powered by green electricity.
The use of battery-powered tractor units is reportedly being tested at CTA. The complete electrification of the tractor unit fleet at CTA is also intended.
The last processes at CTA that still result in CO2 emissions are offset with compensation certificates. With these certificates, HHLA supports climate-friendly projects that are certified according to the highest Gold Standard of Voluntary Emission Reductions (VER).
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This month, HHLA reported a decline in revenue and profits performance in the first nine months (9M) of 2023.
