MITSUI E&S and its subsidiary company in the US, PACECO, began commercial operations of the first hydrogen fuel cell powered rubber-tired gantry (RTG) Crane “MITSUI-Paceco H2-ZE Transtainer crane” at the Port of Los Angeles.

The H2-ZE RTG Transtainer Crane features a PACECO-Mitsui Fuel Cell Power Pack (FCPP) designed to power the RTG through 2 complete shifts, without a reduction in performance. The FCPP can be applied to new cranes, or as a retrofit to upgrade conventional and hybrid diesel RTGs to zero emissions.

MITSUI E&S developed the H2-ZE Transtainer crane and announced its completion of the hydrogen-powered RTG at MITSUI Oita factory in April 2023. During development, it was verified that the same operational performance as the conventional diesel-powered Transtainer cranes can be achieved.

For this project, a newly bult H2-ZE Transtainer was delivered to Yusen Terminals Inc. and entered into commercial operation to validate data taken during the development phase for future improvements. This project is also part of an overall project encompassing a demonstration of the hydrogen supply chain from local production of clean hydrogen to the consumption point of port container handling equipment, which is partially subsidized by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have a particularly aggressive goal in their Clean Air Action Plan of eliminating emissions of all cargo handling equipment by 2030. Diesel-powered RTGs, a workhorse yard crane common in terminals, are a significant producer of emissions.　Use of hydrogen allows the H2-ZE Transtainer cranes to produce zero emissions without connecting to the electric grid, enabling the terminal operators to save on civil work investment and not impact current operating procedures.