The port's first electric container cranes prepare to operate

If a cruise ship were docked in the Port of Barcelona for three months, it would pollute the same amount that will no longer be emitted with the first five 100% electric container cranes that will begin operating in the port of the Catalan capital. Specifically, they will do so at APM Terminals, which is finalizing preparations for them to start transporting containers, first in a testing phase, and then within the terminal's usual logistics.

These cranes, of the straddle carrier type, are responsible for moving maritime transport containers, and are not only the first in Barcelona, but in the entire western Mediterranean, as highlighted by the general director of APM Terminals Barcelona, Julián Fernández.

"We are driving a real change in the port industry from Barcelona," he defended from the terminal, where the operation of a traditional diesel crane was compared to one of the five electric ones: from 95 decibels, 5 kilos of Co2 and 19 kWh consumed, to 75 decibels, zero emissions and 5 kWh. Annually, these figures will translate into a saving of 821 tons of Co2 emissions.

Thus, the machines represent an improvement for the city and its air quality, but also for the conditions of the workers, by avoiding emissions and reducing noise, despite having the same capacity.

The cranes, with six hours of autonomy, will begin testing with merchandise in the coming weeks, in a preparation process that has required setting up two electric charging stations, executing civil and electrical work, and developing a new computer network and the necessary programs to launch the technology.

The commissioning of the five cranes is part of a pilot project aimed at the decarbonization of APM Terminals, which is promoting a global electrification plan valued at 60 million dollars and which it is also deploying in ports in Egypt, Jordan and the United States, among other countries. The goal is to achieve zero emissions by 2040.

"We want to be the first to decarbonize the container industry," according to Fernández, in a milestone in which Barcelona plays a relevant role. The president of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, has precisely highlighted this role of the city and the fact that APM Terminals has included it as a key point in its decarbonization plan.

"It is a very significant step, and not only for having chosen Barcelona, but also because it is linked to the manipulation of heavy cargo", and it goes beyond the electrification of vessels. Furthermore, according to Carbonell, electrification has often been linked to the automation of processes and operations, and in this case, it includes the manual management of cargo, which is carried out in all ports continuously, a fact that amplifies the impact of the measure.

The cranes arrived at the end of the second quarter of the year, and have already undergone the first tests, after going through a reassembly process. These first tests have included testing to check braking efficiency and reaction to an overload. Now, stowage tests will begin, a step planned for a couple of weeks from now, with the aim of them being fully operational in summer.

This pilot project is contributing to understanding the risks, difficulties, and opportunities for infrastructure with electric machinery, as well as determining the training needs for stevedores and technicians, and the updating of safety protocols. Thus, the project will help pave the way towards decarbonization, from Barcelona. "We are making history," Fernández remarked.