The Port of Houston has ordered 14 hybrid Konecranes Rubber-Tyred Gantries (RTGs) for its Barbours Cut Container Terminal and 12 hybrid Konecranes RTGs for its Bayport Container Terminal.
Across the two terminals, the current fleet comprises 90 diesel Konecranes RTGs and 26 hybrid Konecranes RTGs.
The order supports the port’s expansion plan, as it prepares to receive larger container ships and higher volumes of container traffic.
The order was booked in Q3 2022. The crane deliveries will start in the last half of 2023 and continue to mid-2024.
READ: Ceres announces new container yard near Barbours Cut Terminal
The hybrid Konecranes RTGs feature advanced Li-ion battery technology and a battery management system that monitors the charge level and general health of the batteries.
Konecranes can monitor the status of this system via TRUCONNECT remote connection. The hybrid power system is completely modular and retrofittable and includes an eco-efficient Tier 4f diesel engine that charges batteries when necessary.
“Port Houston is forging ahead in both productivity and container crane eco-efficiency,” said Jussi Suhonen, VP Regional Sales, Port Solutions, Konecranes.
“Hybrid Konecranes RTGs have a proven track record, and this new order from Port Houston exemplifies this.”
The RTGs will have a lifting capacity of 50 tons while stacking containers 1-over-5 high and 6 plus truck lane wide. They will be equipped with the Active Load Control system, which eliminates container sway.
They also include the following smart features: Auto-steering, Stack Collision Prevention and Truck Lift Prevention.
Total container volume in August reached 382,842 TEU, a 20 per cent increase over the same month last year and an increase of 47,476 TEU over May 2022 – the port’s best month for containers.
