Nyk Builds In Hydrogen Power Option For Container Handling

The new cranes have been developed by Mitsui E & S Machinery and each unit comes initially equipped with a downsized diesel engine that reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and diesel exhaust, but with an option to replace these engines with a hydrogen fuel cell power supply in the future.

The terminal is operated by NYK Line and UNI-X-NCT and the companies have confirmed that the yard cranes, which are 25m high, and possess a 40.6-ton rated load capacity, represent a step towards the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. This goal was set in mid-2021, with the two companies expecting to convert all cargo-handling equipment at the facility to zero-emission units.

A similar process is also being targeted for another NYK Line facility, the NYK Kobe Container Terminal (NYKT), which is operated with UNI-X and Mitsubishi Logistics. Again, the date set is 2040.

All three of these companies have signed up to a 20-year plan to switch operations to zero-emission yard cranes and stop using fossil-fuel-powered cargo-handling equipment, with a specific focus on accelerating the use of hydrogen as a fuel for power across terminals.

This initiative and the targets set are in line with carbon neutral and decarbonisation objectives outlined and promoted by Japan’s Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism department. A reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to zero across all functions of a port is wanted.