Terminal operator Stevedoring Services of America at the Port of Oakland saw diesel emissions drop 95 percent by upgrading its 1,000-horsepower diesel engines with those that run on 142-horsepower diesel electric hybrid models, the port announced Aug. 24.
Upgrading to the hybrid model has resulted in a decrease of 1,200 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually from each crane, as well as a 93 percent reduction of diesel fuel usage.
“Retrofitting our rubber-tire gantry cranes to battery power produced remarkable results,” said Ken Larson, crane manager at SSA Marine’s Oakland International Container Terminal. “We’re impressed with the huge drop in emissions from equipment that we regularly use on the marine terminal.”
This is the first project of its kind at SSA terminals, the Port of Oakland’s biggest terminal operator, the port said.
Richard Sinkoff, the port’s director of Environmental Programs and Planning, said the project fits ideally in the port's Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan and hopes it will serve as a model for other marine terminals to follow.