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PD Ports has continued its investment into environmentally sustainable technology at Teesport as part of its continued commitment to reducing the Port’s carbon footprint.

In December, PD Ports took delivery of three electric Rubber-Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes, supplied by Liebherr Container Cranes Limited, as part of the latest phase in the port operator’s container terminal expansion at Teesport.

The RTGs, which stand at are more than 24 metres high and weigh 135 tonnes, are the first of PD Ports’ electrically powered fleet and a greener alternative to the existing diesel cranes.

PD Ports’ Chief Executive, Frans Calje, said:

“This investment is key to our ongoing investment in infrastructure at Teesport. In the last ten years, we have secured over £1 billion of investments, creating in excess of 2,500 jobs as a direct result, all of which deliver real value to the north of England and our ability to be more competitive globally.

“We are continuously working to reduce our impact on the environment whilst supporting sustainable practices and the new cranes will significantly reduce emissions from equipment. Earlier this year we were pleased to become the first port in the Northern Powerhouse to achieve certification to the energy standard ISO 50001 across all of our 13 UK sites.”

The ISO 50001 standard specifies an organisation’s requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an energy management system that will help the organisation to use energy more efficiently and integrate better energy management into business strategy.

The new RTGs, which supplement the port’s existing fleet of seven cranes, will enable Teesport to support future trade growth coming in and out of the north of the UK, as well as boosting PD Ports’ bid to become one of the Government’s 10 Free Ports, as announced in February.

Speaking about the order, David Griffin, Managing Director – Sales Liebherr Container Cranes commented:

“We supplied our first ship to shore crane (STS) to Teesport in 1990 and since then we have continued to be a key equipment supplier of both STS and RTGs to the port.

“With the supply of these electric RTGs, PD Ports will continue to benefit from the exceptional productivity that typifies a Liebherr machine, but in addition, can benefit from the reduced running costs and zero emissions that these machines bring.”