Crane 237, a hybrid-engine rubber-tired gantry crane, works container stacks at the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal. Hybrid RTGs reduce emissions by half compared to conventional diesel cranes. (Photo credit: Georgia Ports Authority)
The Georgia Ports Authority has agreed to spend $170 million on 55 hybrid-engine rubber-tired gantry cranes to outfit the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, as it is redeveloped into an all-container facility.
“This significant investment in new equipment will help prepare the Port of Savannah to handle more ships and cargo while maintaining the world-class service our customers have come to expect,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “These new machines will expand our capabilities, operate at lower cost and leave a smaller carbon footprint than conventional diesel cranes.”
The hybrid machines will exclusively operate off electric battery power, with diesel generators running only to recharge batteries. This will reduce fuel consumption by an estimated 47 percent compared to all-diesel machines. Per year, that is a reduction of 8,800 gallons of diesel per crane, or nearly 500,000 gallons annually across the Ocean Terminal fleet. This will result in a fuel purchase savings of more than $1.6 million per year at current rates.
The new cranes reduce emissions by half compared to conventional diesel cranes. At an annual average of 4,000 operating hours per RTG, the hybrid engines will avoid yearly emissions of 127 tons per crane, or nearly 7,000 tons across the 55-RTG fleet.
“With every infrastructure expansion, the Georgia Ports Authority seeks to ensure its operations progress toward improved long-term sustainability,” said GPA Board Chairman Joel Wooten. “Economic development, environmental stewardship, governance, and employee and community engagement are all important facets in that effort.”
The gantry cranes will use special “whisper” movement alarms that sound like static,…
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