Hydrogen-powered rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes could be the future of low-carbon operations for logistics company DP World, which is testing the innovation at the Port of Vancouver.

Dubai-based DP World and its partners refitted an RTG crane - which is typically powered by diesel fuel - to be powered by the electricity from hydrogen fuel cells. A first for the company, it emits only water vapour and no carbon emissions.

A common sight at ports, RTG cranes are the tall, mobile machinery that lift and carry 40-foot sea containers up to 20 metres. DP World has 19 of the units on its Port of Vancouver terminal, which account for half of the terminal’s diesel consumption and generate thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Recognizing the high diesel consumption and its climate target, DP World found hydrogen to be the best fit for a field test.

“We realized that we need to find a solution to electrify or decarbonize our RTG yard cranes,” Joel Werner, COO of DP World Canada, told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.

If the field test is successful, it could mark the beginning of DP World retrofitting more of its 1,500 gantry cranes to run on hydrogen.

The search for a low-carbon crane

Supply chains are a large contributor to pollution. One 2023 study found port operations alone are responsible for three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

DP World, one of the largest players in the logistics industry with over 100,000 employees and a presence on six continents, has set out to become a net-zero company by 2050. It has six marine terminals in Canada – four in British Columbia and two in New Brunswick.

To move toward the 2050 target, the company is examining ways to lower diesel and marine fuel consumption, increasing efficiency and securing a supply of low- or zero-carbon fuels, as laid out in its 2023 sustainability report.

When weighing its options between a crane powered by purely batteries or hydrogen, DP World opted for the latter. The layout of its terminal made it difficult to choose the battery option, Werner said. Another downside was DP World’s energy-intensive operations.

“We have a very energy-intensive application lifting 40 tons repetitively all day long,” Werner said. “If you go to the pure battery solution, we can quickly deplete that, so we needed a solution that could work in that use case reliably.”

Hydrogen also made more sense because Vancouver is an industry hub home to startups such as Ballard Power Systems.

Partnering with B.C.’s hydrogen players

DP World started with a pilot project in October 2023. With the help of its B.C.-based partners TYCROP Manufacturing Ltd., Corvus Energy and Loop Energy Inc. (since acquired by Teralta Hydrogen Solutions Inc.), RTG crane parts such as a 4,000-litre diesel tank were replaced with a hydrogen-electric generator, a battery energy storage system and regenerative energy capture.

After being subject to tests that involved running the system for 24 hours, the hydrogen-powered crane proved it was “robust and reliable enough to deploy to regular operations,” Werner said.

By switching just one RTG crane to hydrogen, DP World is eliminating up to 150,000 litres of diesel consumption per year. It is also quieter, produces less pollution and is more reliable, Werner added.

Since February, DP World has moved the crane to a one-year field trial to gain data on key factors such as hydrogen consumption and comparing it to a diesel-powered crane on productivity, reliability and costs.

Hydrogen for the pilot was derived from fossil fuels, called “grey hydrogen.” For the field trial, DP World is switching to hydrogen made from renewable energy – called “green hydrogen” – from another B.C.-based company named HTEC.

DP World wants to share the hydrogen-based technology with its fellow port terminal operators to support their decarbonization.

Could be first step for other low-carbon terminals

If the field trial is successful, DP World will look to scale the technology for the 25 diesel-powered cranes in its Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert terminals. It could then be used worldwide as a part of its electrification strategy.

Outside of Canada, hydrogen-powered RTGs could be used for DP World’s terminals in the Netherlands or Australia, Werner said. The hydrogen technology can also be applied in other port equipment such as reach stackers.

Another decarbonization initiative DP World has planned for the Port of Vancouver is a trial of an electric terminal tractor.