PD Ports, owner and operator of Teesport, the fifth largest port in the UK, has contracted Konecranes to convert the primary power supply of four diesel-driven Rubber Tired Gantry Cranes (RTGs) to electric, boosting operational efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. The order was booked in August 2021.
The £1.2million conversion project will mean that 70% of PD Ports’ RTG fleet runs on electric and forms the latest step in an ongoing journey of decarbonization for the port operator, who aims to reach carbon-neutrality across its Tees-based operations by 2027.
The project involves the removal of all diesel components. This will completely eliminate the consumption of diesel fuel instead allowing the equipment to run wholly on electric – significantly reducing carbon emissions and noise pollution as well as lowering maintenance requirements.
Each RTG will take an average of three weeks to covert meaning the project, which will extend the lifespan of the equipment for an additional decade, is due for completion in early 2022.
During the retrofit, Konecranes will also be installing fibre optics which will future-proof the RTGs, enabling continuous upgrades and access to enhanced features, such as remote operations, meaning the equipment will be central to increasing both efficiencies and productivity for PD Ports.
Konecranes is a world-leading group of Lifting Businesses™, serving a broad range of customers, including manufacturing and process industries, shipyards, ports and terminals. Konecranes provides productivity enhancing lifting solutions as well as services for lifting equipment of all makes. In 2020, Group sales totaled EUR 3.2 billion. The Group has around 16,500 employees in 50 countries. Konecranes shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.