‘Clean Ports’ grants bolsters LA’s Yusen Terminals zero emission equipment buys

‘Clean Ports’ program grants from EPA accelerate purchases of equipment to help achieve zero emissions goals.

Grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ‘Clean Ports’ program are accelerating purchases of container top handlers and Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes (RTG), at the Port of Los Angeles’ Yusen Terminals, according to Matthew Hamilton, Director, Sustainability, Yusen Terminals.

Hamilton told AJOT that Yusen Terminals International (YTI) “are taking … a hybrid approach … long term we plan to use both battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell equipment here in order to meet our … hundred percent clean zero emission goals by 2030 (the goal of the Port’s Clean Air Action Plan). So, we’ve got a little bit of both happening at the moment on the battery electric side … We were the first to purchase, the first commercially available Taylor battery-powered container top handlers in the country. We’ve got five of those … in our operations for several months now.”

Hamilton said the EPA Clean Ports grants will help speed the transition from diesel-powered equipment to zero emission equipment: “Yes, YTI is one of the beneficiaries of that EPA Clean Ports grant. We were one of the terminals that submitted the application through the Port (of Los Angeles) and was approved and got fully funded. So that’s great news. So yes, that’s kind of the next big phase for us here at YTI. We’ll be putting … tens of millions of dollars of grant funding along with ... over $10 million of YTI funding towards the next wave of EV (electric vehicle) equipment and also a decent chunk towards EV infrastructure to support the charging and … electric grid resiliency as we bring on more and more electric equipment here … So yeah, very excited about that. We’ll be getting … 12 more electric top handlers …”

Hamilton says he sees savings in maintenance costs coming out of battery-powered and hydrogen fuel cell technology as compared to diesel powered equipment, but this is still a preliminary view: “So far, it’s probably a little too early to say conclusively … exactly how much we’re saving there. But the battery electric side of things, we have had a couple hiccups, to be honest with you on the electric top panel side of things. Just these are, again, the very first ones off the assembly line, so it’s nothing major. The batteries are performing great, it’s nothing with the electrical systems. And then on the RTG … on the hydrogen fuel cell side … that has been really exceeding our expectations. We have had very little downtime or maintenance issues at all in the first couple months using that machine. So again, very positive results on that side of things as well … Over time, certainly … our diesel pieces … are quite old right now, and … they’re down frequently. And… it’s getting more and more expensive to maintain them, which is one of the big selling points of the electrics that we probably won’t fully realize for another year or two …”

In terms of productivity, Hamilton does not see a difference compared with diesel-powered equipment but down time due to maintenance is a factor:” So far, I would say no productivity loss or gain really on the hydrogen fuel cell RTG that we’ve seen so far, it operates almost identical to the diesel pieces of equipment in terms of efficiency. Again, (with) the fuel efficiency we are noticing some gains there.”

Hamilton said the hydrogen fuel cell RTG is the preferable way to go because it is a mobile piece of equipment: “We’re very hopeful that the RTG with the hydrogen fuel cell will continue to perform as well as it is. Because with the fuel cell, you do still have that flexibility like you do with the diesel piece of equipment where you’re not tied to anything … It’s truly a mobile piece of equipment.”

Training on the new equipment has gone smoothly: “The PMA (Pacific Maritime Association) level is where they are overseeing new training opportunities for both battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell. The mechanics … are already familiar with the electric equipment because for the most part, it’s the same piece of equipment, right? You are just taking out the diesel engines and you are putting in these new battery, electric motors. So, they are getting some offsite training for that, but … they’re already pretty equipped … on the machines itself with the chargers. A lot of that is still covered under warranty during the first year … So, they are being trained, they’re typically on standby and observing with the OEMs that are coming out and doing any maintenance on the chargers themselves. But over time, ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) will take on that work as well. On the hydrogen fuel supply or fueling same thing. Maintenance is very similar, so no additional staff there. We have a vendor that does all of our maintenance and repair, and that vendor is Pacific Crane Maintenance Company. So those people that work for Pacific Crane Maintenance Company are getting the opportunity to learn how to do the maintenance and repair on our new equipment here on Yusen Terminals.”