DP World is investing £12m in eight new straddle carriers to service the ground-breaking new fourth berth at its London Gateway logistics hub, according to the company's release.
The innovative new machines will be part of the first all-electric fleet in the world to go into commercial operation at a port and herald a major step forward for the sustainability of the global supply chain. Each straddle carrier, which moves containers handled by the quay cranes and then services onward forms of transport via road and rail, reduces carbon emissions by 54% compared with non-electric models, a figure that will increase over time as London Gateway continues to transition its electricity supply to zero carbon sources.
The straddle carriers will go into service next summer on completion of London Gateway’s £350m new fourth berth, where all major equipment is expected to be electric thereby making it one of the most sustainable ever built. It represents the latest in a series of investments which DP World has made to help green the UK supply chain, with its Southampton logistics hub reporting its most sustainable year ever in 2022 after eliminating fossil diesel from its operations entirely and transitioning to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). Using the renewable biodiesel is expected to cut carbon emissions from fleet and installations by 90%.