ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT\\\ >> 14


increase too significant for


carriers to absorb and stay operational.”


Ports


In 2018, the South Carolina Ports Authority opened its second inland port, in Dillon, 160 miles from Charleston, in a location central to a significant base of port users. South Carolina’s first such facility, Inland Port Greer, has seen sustained growth since its opening in November 2013. South Carolina’s inland ports, said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome, demonstrate how ports can “leverage the efficiency and sustainability of rail transportation.” In Georgia, the Mason Mega


Rail Terminal, the first phase of which will open in this spring, will double the Port of Savannah’s rail liſt capacity to 2 million TEUs per year. Project completion is expected by the end of the year. The Port Authority of New


York and New Jersey has made massive investments in intermodal rail over the years, but trucks still account for 85% of all port container movements. Electric drayage trucks were the subject of a recent pilot undertaken at the port and yard handling equipment is another of the Port Authority’s initiatives in the area of air quality. “There will be a migration to much less diesel and more use of electricity for yard handling equipment,” said Sam Ruda, director of the NY/ NJPA’s port department. In October 2019, the Port of


Long Beach demonstrated the use of hydrogen- and electric- powered cargo handling equipment at two shipping terminals. Battery-electric top handlers and fuel-cell and battery-electric yard tractors were demonstrated at Piers E and J. “Projects like these are


designed to take us down the road to becoming the world’s


Issue 1 2020 - FBJNA


South Carolina’s Inland Port Greer has seen steady increasing intermodal traffic since 2013. (SCPA photo)


industry must work to establish a common battery-electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” said Roger Nielsen, CEO of DTNA,


“and batteries must


become cheaper, lighter, and more powerful.”


Air


Air New Zealand’s experimentation with biofuels dates back to 2008, when the


15


vehicles on the ground. Sustainability efforts in


the air continue. Boeing used green diesel biofuels on ecoDemonstrator 787 and 757 flights in 2014 and 2015 and Alaska


Airlines flew several


demonstration flights using different kinds of biofuel in 2016. In the short to medium term,


the low price of oil also militates against the robust development of aviation biofuels. Experts say that biofuel works when the price of oil is at least $120 per barrel. Oil was trading recently at under $60 a barrel. By that measure, widespread adoption of biofuels in aviation seems a way off. Stakeholders across the


first zero-emissions seaport,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. The Montreal Port Authority


upgraded its Trucking PORTal application in December to include data on terminal processing times, in an effort to promote better route planning,


Association of Railroads. According to AAR, U.S. freight


railroads moved a ton of freight an average of 473 miles on a gallon of fuel in 2018—up from 396 in 2000—and actually use less fuel than they did in 1980, when volumes were much lower. Accounting for these developments are investments


“[MPA] is governed by a


sustainable development policy.” -- Tony Boemi, Montreal Port Authority


in more efficient locomotives; increasing loads in railcars and railcars on trains; and soſtware systems that promote fuel and mechanical efficiency. Electric cranes are


improved traffic flow, and reduced emissions. Noted Tony Boemi, vice president for growth and development: MPA “is governed by a sustainable development policy.”


Rail


North American railroads consider themselves to be inherently environmental- friendly. Trains are three to four times more fuel efficient than trucks and reduce highway congestion, notes the American


increasingly being used in rail yard operations. CSX in recent years installed seven wide- span electric cranes at its North Baltimore terminal in Ohio with the capacity to replace 20 diesel-powered cranes and 20 diesel trucks for intra-terminal container movements. In Europe, Deutsche Bahn’s


sustainability program that includes using 100% renewable power by 2038. DB uses 3D printing to produce components and reduce raw materials consumption.


Trucking


With retail increasingly moving online,


trucking faces more


sustainability challenges than ever. More residential deliveries


“There will be a migration to much


less diesel and more use of electricity for yard handling equipment.” -- Sam Ruda, NY/NJPA


means truck routes are growing longer and becoming less efficient. A report released last year by


Penske Truck Leasing indicated that most trucking companies promote sustainability, with 78% focused on optimization, 39% tracking and reporting emissions, and 19% piloting alternative fuels. Daimler Trucks North


America’s electric Freightliner eCascadia Class 8 trucks started rolling off the assembly lines in August 2019 and Penske Truck Leasing took delivery of one of the first. “It will be used to make multiple, daily store deliveries on a dedicated route,” said Brian Hard, CEO of Penske Truck Leasing. Deutsche Post DHL has good


had experience natural gas with


alternative power sources like electric, hybrid, and compressed


on


short- and mid-range vehicles. “For the long-range,” said Achim Jüchter, a company expert on green technologies, “liquefied natural gas and advanced biofuels are the most promising solutions.” Walmart, which runs


its own truck fleet, has developed a green prototype in collaboration with Peterbilt Motors and Great Dane Trailers. “The concept truck uses a microturbine to charge batteries that in turn power an electric motor,” said Elizabeth Fretheim, who was, until recently, Walmart’s director for sustainability logistics. “The microturbines are fuel neutral and could run on natural gas or biofuel with little modification.” To push trucking toward greater sustainability, “The


international transportation spectrum are taking steps to promote sustainability, but it’s worth noting that the migration


away from fossil


fuels could also hurt the businesses of transportation providers. Coal, oil, and gas


“Projects like [the use of hydrogen-


and electric-powered cargo handling equipment] are designed to take us down the road to becoming the


world’s first zero-emissions seaport.” -- Mario Cordero, POLB


carrier conducted a test flight powered by a 50:50 mix of tree nut oil and A1 jet fuel. In March 2016, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia announced a joint biofuel project, meant to identify suppliers. The upshot was that none


of 30 potential suppliers could produce biofuels at a scale adequate to the two carriers. Air New Zealand officials concluded that it would be ten years before biofuels would be commercially viable for aviation. The airline practices sustainability with investments


in more fuel-


efficient aircraſt, reducing electricity consumption across its business, and driving electric


represented 41% of all tonnage in international maritime trade in 2016, according to UNCTAD. Rail carriers in the U.S. and elsewhere earn substantial revenues from transporting coal. “The loss of fossil fuel


traffic,” noted Alan McKinnon, a professor at the Kuehne Logistics University in Hamburg, “will deprive freight operators of much of their current business.”


CMA CGM will be burning low-sulfur fuel oil and LNG and will be installing several scrubbers in its efforts to comply with IMO 2020. (Photo by Peter Buxbaum)


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