Shekou pulls plug on RTGs

The terminal had already converted most of its diesel powered RTGs to electric power in a program started last year and the switch to a drive-in conductor bar will save extra time and energy.
The conversion of the RTGs has been done by Germany’s Conductix-Wampfler.
The firm’s global marketing director, Patrick Schopflin, said trials of the drive-in system would start immediately.
Currently the e-RTGs have to be plugged into a reel system when converted from diesel to electric propulsion.
The drive-in option used a cantilevered attachment fixed to the side of the e-RTG which automatically engaged with the conductor bar.
“The plugging-in process to connect the RTG to the current collector trolley is no longer necessary,” Conductix-Wampfler said.
There were around 350 e-RTGs used around the world.
Commenting on Shekou Container Terminal’s use of green technologies, terminal managing director Michael Zhou said it had launched a four-phase program to convert container handling equipment.
So far 60 gantry cranes, or 80% of the total in use at Shekou, have been converted from diesel to electric power at a cost of around Yuan1.5m (US$220,600) each, he said.
This was financed internally by parent company China Merchants Holdings (International).
A further 25 e-RTGs have been acquired direct from the manufacturer Noell Cranes.
The converted e-RTGs are expected to save a total of 3,000 tonnes of diesel a year and cut emissions by 90%.
Several of the e-RTGs have been deployed in the terminal’s container yard and depots where operations are being changed to electric power.
The first two stages have been completed and the two final phases involved the conversion of a further 38 container yards to all-electric power, together with the addition of 25 new e-RTGs and 16 new rail-mounted gantry cranes, Mr Zhou said. The program should be completed soon.
China Merchants Holdings (International) is already looking to carry out a similar conversion program next June at nearby Chiwan Container Terminal.
But, in a wider program, the company is mulling over plans to extend the conversions to its other terminals in China.
Aside from Shekou and Chiwan near Shenzhen, the company currently operates terminals in Xiamen, Ningbo, Tianjin and Qingdao.
Port management at Shekou Container Terminal are also in discussions with China Shipping Container Lines about a pilot project to install landside power to allow cold-ironing at the terminal.
Italy’s Cavotec Specimas has already developed onboard and landside power supply systems, while sister company Cavotec Moor Master has developed an automatic ship mooring system.
Noell Cranes has also developed the Vycon flywheel conversion system for RTGs that has already been retrofitted at the Evergreen terminal in Los Angeles, Yantian International Container Terminal in Shenzhen and Incheon near Seoul in South Korea.