Oakland cranes to be converted to hybrid power

   Thirteen diesel-powered rubber tire gantry cranes at Oakland International Container Terminal will be converted to hybrid power, the Port of Oakland announced Tuesday.
   The $6 million project will equip each crane with batteries and new, smaller diesel engines. The first hybrid crane began working March 5 at the port’s largest container terminal, and the remainder of the terminal’s retrofitted fleet will come online by next year, the port said.   
   The hybrid cranes are expected to provide an annual 45-ton reduction in diesel-related air pollutants.
   “This is the Prius of cargo-handling equipment,” said Catherine Mukai, the port’s environmental planner, in a statement. “We’re gratified that our partners at the terminal are taking this step to help clean the air.”
   The Bay Area Air Quality Management District awarded in July a $5 million grant for the project to terminal operator SSA Terminals, which is spending an additional $1 million to convert the cranes.
   In February, the port operator also submitted a $30 million order for three 300-foot-tall gantry cranes that are expected to be delivered in 18 months.
   The Port of Oakland is not the only port looking toward alternative energy sources for rubber tire gantry cranes. Gulftainer USA Wilmington announced last week it had placed an order for nine all-electric cranes, which are expected to be delivered in the first and fourth quarters of 2020.