Port Equipment Manufacturers Association releases information paper on electrification of RTG cranes

The Port Equipment Manufacturers Association (PEMA) has produced an information paper on the electrification of rubber tyred gantry (RTG) cranes in ports and terminals – a key issue facing the container shipping industry as it strives to improve sustainability and efficiency.

“Energy efficiency and reducing emissions are two objectives that the world’s ports and terminals are taking steps to achieve through the electrification of RTGs, and an area where PEMA is able to raise awareness and provide information on technological alternatives,” says PEMA President Ottonel Popesco, PEMA President.

“This document provides a solid overview of electrification technologies available today, as well as practical guidance on fitting these systems to new and existing equipment,” adds Michael Eckle, PEMA Board member and the report’s lead author.

The paper presents an overview of the current state of legislative requirements on environmental performance facing ports and terminals. It also covers the various electrified RTG (E-RTG) systems that are currently available, and explores their relative strengths and weaknesses. The report goes on to list a number of ports and terminals that have already introduced E-RTGs.

This is the sixth information paper published by PEMA, and it follows the release of a similar document in October that focused on container weighing and verification technologies.

Other areas covered by the series of information papers include Radio Frequency Identification, Environmental Technologies, Container Yard Automation, Optical Character Recognition and Container Weighing Technologies.

All PEMA information papers, along with a range of market surveys and best practice recommendations, are available for download at www.pema.org/publications/