Fifty Shades of Green

This statement emphasises that there is a strong link between operational efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Product functionality, choice and amount of material, production, distribution, operational impact and recycling forms a fairly complete list of the product life cycle, each of which affects the total environmental footprint of equipment.

Material selection

An example of environmental impact is the selection of raw material. In our crane spreaders we use high strength steel for all load carrying structures. One would think that the choice of supplier and production source in this case would be marginal but when investigated the result is anything but insignificant! The environmental footprint from steel production is influenced by two primary factors: the iron ore used and the source of the electricity used in the steel mill.

There are two different types of iron ore used to produce steel- magnetite and haematite.

Magnetite which is the primary iron ore mined and used in northern Europe can be processed through oxidation. The oxidation process generates large amounts of heat, requiring less supplemental heat from other energy sources like fossil fuels. Using iron ore that is processed through oxidation, therefore, considerably reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption.

The source of the electrical power used in the steel mills is the other important factor influencing the environmental footprint. Coal fueled power plants are, needless to say, generating significantly higher levels of CO2-emissions compared to, for instance, a hydro power plant.

The difference of the environmental footprint measured in CO2-equivalents for steel produced in northern Europe compared to material of the same specification in for instance China can be as high as a factor 10.

Greenline Yard spreaders

The Greenline Yard spreaders pioneered the market in the early 2000’s by being the first all-electric crane spreaders on the market. The environmental effects of these products were seven fold. Compared to a traditional hydraulically driven spreader where the motor is running continuously to maintain hydraulic pressure, the electric motor is only activated when something on the spreader needs to move. The savings in power consumption on the spreader is significant.

These spreaders were also lighter than the traditional spreaders giving savings in power consumption in the crane as less weight had to be lifted. The third important aspect was that hydraulic oil, with the potential environmental threat of oil spill, was eliminated.

Today more than 95% of all yard spreaders for RTG, ASC and RMG operation supplied by Bromma are all-electric and the company has supplied more than 3000 units to the market.

Automatic twistlock handling

One of the more recent innovations from Bromma is the automatic twistlock handling system, ALP.

Stevedores working under the crane mounting and removing twistlocks on/from containers has since long been identified as one of the remaining big security risks in a container terminal.

The ALP is the first fully automatic system for coning and de-coning of twistlocks on the market. The system which can handle 20, 40, 45 and twin 20 foot containers, includes magazines in which the twistlocks are stored during discharge.

One of the specific environmental features of the ALP is the patented hydraulic power regeneration system. The system is self-sufficient of power and does not need external cable connection. When a container is landed on the platform for coning or de-coning, the weight of the container will push down cylinders which “charge” hydraulic accumulators. The accumulated hydraulic pressure is then used to run the mechanisms for handling the twistlocks including transportation to and from the internal magazines.

Environmental sustainability

Bromma carries a proud Swedish heritage which includes an image of clear skies, blue water and mountains – Environmental sustainability personified.

We have clear environmental targets in all of our activities and we take responsibility throughout the product lifecycle – from addressing environmental issues already at the design phase to optimising the recycling of our materials.

The environmental requirement from the container terminal industry is still limited to the direct aspects and effects of the products supplied, but from a holistic perspective, the processes and materials used for producing the equipment are equally important.