APM Terminals (APMT) said it has signed a EUR1 million (US$1.3 million) contract with Germany’s Conductix-Wampfler for the retrofitting of rubber-tire gantry (RTG) cranes at Laem Chabang’s Container Terminal 1 (LCB1) in Thailand.
The conversion of LCB1’s RTGs is scheduled to be completed next year, a company statement on May 8 disclosed.
“The electrification of the RTGs at LCB1 will enhance the Port of Laem Chabang’s leadership position within environmental performance and make the port a role model for other ports in Thailand and elsewhere in the region,” said Niels Hansen. CEO of LCB1.
The conversion of RTG power from diesel to electricity, a plan announced a year ago, will be done through flexible automatic power connections linking the RTGs to a conductor rail.
Conductix-Wampler will install more than 2.5 kilometers of conductor rails at the terminal to accommodate the electric power link. By reducing diesel fuel consumption in the existing RTG engines, the terminal is projected to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 1,300 tons annually.
Diesel-powered RTGs account for about 20 percent of all CO2 emissions from terminal operations, The Netherlands-based APMT said.
If adopted nationwide, the emission reductions would be considerable. There are currently 158 diesel-powered RTGs in operation at Thai ports.
In 2011, the Port of Laem Chabang in the Chonburi Province on the Gulf of Thailand was considered the busiest container port in Southeast Asia and the 21st busiest worldwide with 5.7 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) handled.
APM Terminals holds a 35 percent minority share in LCB1, which opened in 1995. Through its share in LCB1, APMT also holds a 31.5 percent share of neighboring LCMT Company Ltd. (LCMT), in which LCB1 holds a majority stake. Combined container throughput at LCB1 and LCMT in 2011 was 1.25 million TEUs.
The considerably larger RTG fleet at the Malaysian Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), another member of the APM Terminals network, is next scheduled for conversion. PTP handled 7.5 million TEUs in 2011, APMT said.
Photo: APMT
