Farewell to fossil fuels: AGV fleet at CTA successfully converted to battery-powered drive

In the fourth quarter of 2023, CTA decommissioned the last diesel-powered container transporter (automated guided vehicle – AGV). From now on, the new AGV fleet consists of 95 battery-powered vehicles that run on green electricity. This means that fossil energy is no longer necessary at any stage of the container transport process from the ship to the container storage system – it is now entirely electrified. By switching to battery-powered AGVs and the associated significant reduction in diesel consumption, around three million litres of diesel are saved at CTA every year, which is equivalent to around 8,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Oliver Dux, Director of Technology at HHLA: “The now completed switch to battery-powered AGVs at CTA underlines once more the pioneering role of CTA with regard to sustainability, as we avoid thousands of tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year thanks to the reduced diesel consumption. We will also continue to invest in the electrification of the equipment of the other HHLA terminals in order to achieve climate-neutral operations across the Group by 2040.”

In August, CTA once again received certification as a climate-neutral company from TÜV NORD, because the 14 container gantry cranes for seaborne handling, the 52 portal cranes in the container block storage facility and the four rail gantry cranes are already powered by green electricity. The use of battery-powered tractor units is currently being tested at CTA. The complete electrification of the tractor unit fleet at CTA is also intended.

The last processes at CTA that still result in CO₂ emissions are offset with compensation certificates. With these certificates, HHLA supports climate-friendly projects that are certified according to the highest Gold Standard of Voluntary Emission Reductions (VER). The aim is to continuously reduce the share of compensation. To achieve this, HHLA focuses on collaboration with its partners to develop technically innovative solutions.

The conversion of the AGV fleet at CTA was supported by Hamburg’s Ministry for Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture using funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the “Energiewende in Unternehmen” research project. The goal was the reduction of CO₂ emissions by increasing the use of fluctuating renewable energies and improving the efficiency of the energy supply. You can find more information here.

You can find more information on CTA at: www.cta-klimaneutral.de/en.