Earlier this year the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) approved awarding a $1.3 million contract to Adobe Equipment to replace 15 yard tractors at the Barbours Cut container terminal with the cleanest-burning engines available.
PHA has a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant that will reimburse 25% of the purchase and delivery cost of the new units.
A grant from the Houston-Galveston Area Council Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) fund, which will reimburse about 60% of this purchase, is also available to PHA.
More recently in a related initiative the port commissioners gave the go-ahead to award a $5.5 million two-year contract to Pumpelly Oil Company for purchase of unleaded gasoline and ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel for handling equipment at Barbours Cut, Bayport and Turning Basin terminals.
The decision was also taken to use nearly $1.5 million of the EPA’s National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program funds to reimburse Maersk Line for the differential cost of lower emissions fuel on the shipping line’s vessels calling at PHA wharves.
Last November Maersk and EPA’s Office of International Affairs conducted a fuel switching demonstration project using this fuel on commercial cargo vessels at Houston’s port and two other ports in Mexico.
The Barbours Cut container terminal and central maintenance facility are the first of any US port regions to develop and implement an innovative environmental management system that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001.
