Pioneering Sustainable Shipping

Known as “America’s Port,” the Port of Los Angeles is the largest port in the United States, occupying 4,300 acres on San Pedro Bay as a neighbor to the California communities of Carson, Wilmington and West Long Beach. As a major economic hub, the port moves 86 million shipping containers per year, using 1,932 pieces of cargo-handling equipment that includes 215 diesel top handlers. Top handler operations at the port contribute 30% of the emissions that stem from cargo-handling equipment.

The port’s neighboring communities — portions of which are considered disadvantaged — are exposed to the high cumulative effects of air pollution generated by highway traffic and nearby operations related to port, rail and oil and gas production. To improve air quality, the San Pedro Bay Clean Air Action Plan strives to make San Pedro Bay Port Complex zero-emission by 2030. Doing its part, Yusen Terminals Inc (YTI) — one of seven terminal operators at the port —asked Black & Veatch to help transition its diesel equipment to zero-emission electric.

Decarbonizing YTI’s Cargo Dynamo

Since 1991, YTI has been conducting terminal operations and cargo handling at the port. The dynamo of their operation is the top handler. Its fleet of top-handlers moves every container — each roughly the size of a two-car garage and the weight of six elephants — from the ship to the gate or rail. As a gateway for international trade, the port relies on YTI to keep supply chains moving. To achieve this, efficient operations are essential, leaving little room for equipment downtime.

Aligned with its mission to move cargo with a focus on environment, YTI aims to decarbonize its mix of cargo-handling equipment, including top handlers, forklifts, yard tractors and gantry cranes, which currently use internal combustion engines. A zero-emission fleet would help the port meet its carbon emission goals and reduce air quality impacts to neighboring communities. To advance progress, YTI decided to invest in the first production of electric top handlers and electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment, which presented some challenges.

“Almost immediately, we found ourselves behind schedule on the installation of our first permanent EV charging stations,” said Matthew Hamilton, director of sustainability at YTI. “We had a real risk of not being able to charge our new equipment when it would be delivered.”

YTI turned to Black & Veatch — an EV infrastructure leader — for charging infrastructure that could withstand the fast-paced environment and endure the marine conditions.

“We ultimately hired Black & Veatch and challenged them to help us rapidly deploy three 180kw-charging stations within a few month timeframe ahead of top handler delivery,” Hamilton said.

Innovative Technology Flexes to YTI’s Charging Environment

Charging flexibility was important to YTI, which wanted a solution that could be relocated to flex to its charging needs. YTI also wanted to avoid underground work to reduce the time needed for onsite construction and limit impact to their busy operations.

These conditions are exactly why Black & Veatch designed their BV-ConX modular charging infrastructure system. BV-ConX units are quickly installed, used, relocated or made permanent, flexing to changes in site use and EV charging demand. It supports a range of EV charging hardware, including Level 2, DC-fast and related power distribution systems.

YTI agreed that BV-ConX would be the ideal technology to deploy because it would allow YTI to see the electric top handlers in action with minimal ground disturbance, reducing the cost to deploy charging systems and providing flexibility to move the units as needed.

To get ready, Black & Veatch identified electrical capacity and performed design and permitting services on behalf of YTI, ensuring the required permitting was satisfied in accordance to the port, regional jurisdictions and Los Angeles Department of Building Safety. Black & Veatch also provided construction services to deploy the three BV-ConX units. The modular charging infrastructure was rapidly deployed and integrated easily into YTI’s operations because:

• It is prefabricated, self-ballasting and assembled off-site.

• The standardized design allowed YTI to combine any number of modules to adapt to its charging needs, and the universal design supported YTI’s selected charger (EVESCO 180 kW charger).

• It is compatible with surface-mounted or underground power feeds. Conduit and cabling were routed inside an integrated wireway, which reduced the need for trenching and decreased the risk of safety incidents. Bollards are integrated, eliminating the need for costly additional foundations for protective posts around the equipment.

Zero-Emission Port Operations Go Live

With BV-ConX units and the charging hardware hooked up, YTI put the five electric top handlers to work. The charging system powered the top handlers through eight to 14 hours of heavy cargo moving, with a five-hour charging window overnight. According to YTI, the BV-ConX units and EV equipment operate smoothly and as designed, without issue, day after day.

“The BV-ConX system made our rapid deployment possible,” Hamilton said. “It has proven to stand up in our tough port operations environment and still gives us the flexibility we need for our long-term EV strategy.”

As YTI electrifies more of its equipment, a dedicated charging area in the terminal will be required, and BV-ConX units can be easily relocated using a forklift. BV-ConX has proven that its hardwearing design stands up to rough-and-ready environments such as YTI’s cargo terminals or construction sites, military installations or commercial facilities. By design, BV-ConX units are portable, making them ideal for use at leased facilities. Companies can add EV charging with minimal ground disturbance and do not have to worry about stranding infrastructure if they decide to lease a different property — their investment goes with them.

What’s Next for YTI’s Decarbonization?

YTI continues its swift pace towards zero-emission operations, emboldened by the successful use of the BV-ConX charging system and fully electric top handlers.

“We were so pleased with the success of the project that we have since transitioned our other active EV charging infrastructure projects to Black & Veatch,” Hamilton said. “Their team came through in flying colors, giving us the resources, expertise and ultimately the right solution for us with the BV-ConX system in the very aggressive timeframe given to them.

This transition includes an electrical study that Black & Veatch is conducting. This study will indicate YTI’s baseline energy use across the terminal and the capacity needed to electrify more of their fleet.

As a pioneer in sustainable shipping practices, YTI aspires to meet established zero-emission goals, and as a good neighbor they aim to improve air quality for nearby residents. Black & Veatch is working with YTI to meet these ambitions head-on by taking steps to deploy permanent traditional charging systems and battery storage to provide energy resilience and reliabilty while shaving peak demand of widespread EV charging.

“We look forward to our continued partnership as we enter the next phase of our zero-emission transition,” Hamilton said.