Coinciding with the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Hutchison Ports and the Port of Felixstowe has announced a major investment in new equipment to help decarbonise port operations.
The port has placed orders for 48 battery-powered terminal tractors and 17 zero-emission remote controlled electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes (ReARTGs).
The battery-powered terminal tractors will be supplied by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co Ltd (ZPMC) and will be the first electric tractors at the container port. ZPMC has partnered with Shacman to develop these vehicles.
Konecranes Finland is set to supply the ReARTGs and will be fitted with the latest semi-automation technology.
“This order represents the latest part of our plan to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. In total, replacing 48 diesel-powered tractor units and 17 conventional RTGs with new electrical equipment will save 6,662 of CO2 and 59.38 tonnes of NOx emissions every year,” said Chris Lewis, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Felixstowe.
“We have reduced our carbon footprint by 30% since 2015. That has been achieved through a range of measures including the first phase of our programme to phase out diesel-powered yard cranes. These latest acquisitions will help drive further substantial reductions in the future and help us to reach our target of a further 20% reduction over the next five years.”
Clemence Cheng, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports Europe and Joint Chair of Hutchison Ports Group Sustainability Committee, added “Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and Hutchison Ports is committed to playing its part by minimising the impact of port operations on the environment.
“Promoting a culture of technological innovation and adoption of alternative fuels is a key strand of our strategy. This investment takes us another step nearer to our goal.”
To support the use of this new equipment, the port will be upgrading its high voltage (HV) electrical power distribution network and is installing a new electrical infrastructure to support the ReARTGs and ten charging stations for the terminal tractors.
This follows the news that A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) is continuing to divert its container vessels away from Felixstowe due to ongoing congestion at the port. Announced in October 2021, the shipping liner said that constraints in capacity driven by a lack of truck drivers are causing several challenges.
