Twelve of the world’s lowest-emission straddle carriers went into operation at the HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai in mid-January. With their extremely low harmful emissions, these modern diesel-electric vehicles make an important contribution towards reducing emissions at the container terminal. The new straddle carriers’ emissions of nitrogen oxides are 94 percent lower than their predecessors’ and they also generate 95 percent less particulate matter, the company said in its press release.
“By adding the twelve new straddle carriers, we have further expanded the fleet of vehicles at the Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB). This enables us to further increase Burchardkai’s performance capabilities, especially at peak times,” says Dr. Stefan Behn, member of the HHLA Executive Board and responsible for the Container segment. Behn explains why HHLA chose the ultra low-emission straddle carriers: “The Port of Hamburg is in the middle of the city. That makes it important to keep harmful emissions as low as possible. We at HHLA are using cutting-edge technologies and intelligent solutions to further reduce emissions at our terminals.”
The twelve latest-generation straddle carriers comply with the strict requirements of the European Union’s emissions standard Euro 4: they emit a maximum of just 0.5 grams of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 0.025 grams of particulate matter (PM) per kilowatt-hour of output. Compared to their predecessors – which met the Euro 1 standard – the new straddle carriers’ emissions of nitrogen oxides are 94 percent lower, while the particulate matter they produce has been reduced by 95 percent. This translates into annual CO2 savings of more than 130,000 kilos per vehicle. A total of 133 straddle carriers are now in use at CTB.