APM Terminals to electrify 400 cranes

APM Terminals to electrify 400 cranes    APM Terminals said it will convert and retrofit more than 400 diesel-powered rubber-tire gantry cranes to use a combination of electric and diesel power in order to reduce costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
   The new power supply will utilize a busbar, a rail providing access to electrical power. APMT said recent technological advances have made such a hybrid power option possible for RTGs.
   'Early RTG electrification systems restricted operational flexibility, as the machines were either permanently stuck to the busbar, or operated with a long coil of electrical cable on its side. Someone had to plug the machines, unplug them and then plug them in again between moves,' said Ross Clarke, head of design and operations for new terminals at APMT.
   But the company said RTGs can now be connected and disconnected automatically from the busbar through the use of a retractable connector arm attached to the RTG. This system allows the RTG power to switch between the diesel engine and electricity from the busbar automatically and without interruption.
   APMT said projected maintenance and repair costs for the electrified RTGs are 30 percent lower than for standard diesel-powered RTGs, with additional savings of as much as 70 percent in fuel costs. The use of E-RTGs will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent to 80 percent compared with conventional diesel-powered RTGs, which will result in decreasing overall terminal carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent per TEU handled.