APM Terminals Barcelona marks electrification milestone

Global terminal operator APM Terminals is well on track to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at its terminals in Spain as the Barcelona terminal celebrated the arrival of its first electric straddle carriers on December 9, 2024.

The carriers are said to be “the first of their kind” in the Mediterranean. In total, five electric straddle carriers will be rolled out in Barcelona as part of APM Terminals’ $60 million global electrification pilot to reduce emissions.

“Our celebration today underlines our long-term commitment as a terminal operator to Barcelona and to Spain. The modernisation we do here goes hand in hand with our global industry-leading target of net zero by 2040, and Barcelona is a prime example as one of the pilots showing the way with electric equipment. We see a huge potential in further developing our terminals in connection with the overall logistics infrastructure,” Julián Fernandez , CEO of Spanish Gateways in APM Terminals, commented.

The project in Barcelona has been supported by approximately €3 million by the Spanish Government.

Within a year, plans on paper are being transformed into action as the port is getting ready for the first phase of testing. This is being done along with setting up charging stations and implementing the technology required to operate.

“The commissioning of the first five electric straddle carriers at APM Terminals Barcelona demonstrates the Port Community’s firm commitment to our decarbonisation objectives… The Port of Barcelona is on track to reduce its CO2-emissions by half by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve this, we are making progress in the port’s energy transition, with projects such as the Nexigen plan for the electrification of quays, the production of renewable energies, and the promotion of transition fuels and future zero-emission fuels,” José Alberto Carbonell , President of Port de Barcelona, said.

The pilot and testing of equipment is being carried out in cooperation with Konecranes and ZPMC.

When APM Terminals kicked off its global pilot program for electrification, Barcelona was one of the five hand-picked terminals to participate. Battery-electric equipment has been piloted so far in Jordan, Egypt and now Spain, the terminal operator said.

Pier 400 in Los Angeles is next in line in the pilot program. In addition, APM Terminals’ newbuild terminals in Rijeka and Suape – starting operations in 2025 and 2026, respectively – are both fully equipped with electric terminal equipment, according to APM Terminals.

Greenhouse gas emissions in the terminals come predominantly from diesel equipment. In 2023, APM Terminals became one of the founding members of the Zero Emission Port Alliance (ZEPA), an industry group that is collectively calling for action to accelerate port decarbonization by making battery-electric CHE affordable and accessible within this decade.

“It’s remarkable to think that just 12 months ago, we launched ZEPA, and in that time, we’ve completed some crucial work across demand, standardisation, and enabling infrastructure. That said, our goal remains to further close the price and performance gap, especially for straddle carriers. Alongside efforts like ZEPA, taking real action – such as this pilot with early-stage assets – is a vital step in that direction,” Sahar Rashidbeigi , Head of Decarbonisation, APM Terminals, pointed out.