Port & Marine
Powering America's Ports
Our global economy depends on the efficient and continuous movement of goods, supplies of raw materials and delivery of manufactured goods to market. Internal combustion engines, principally those powered by diesel and natural gas, are prime movers for America’s sea and inland ports.
From 2016-2021, 12.5 billion tons worth of goods were sent abroad across the globe in maritime trade. In the United States, 360 commercial sea and river ports move 2 billion tons of import and export cargo each year, while more than 16.9 million cruise passengers also move through port facilities. More than 95% of the cargo entering the US arrives by ship, and more than 360 commercial ports nationwide help to transfer these goods to their destinations in communities across the nation.
Port DRAYAGE Trucks
Since 2010, all new diesel engines in commercial trucks serving ports achieve near zero emissions for both particulate matter and emissions of nitrogen oxides. Nationwide, 57% of all commercial trucks in operation are 2011 and newer models.
Drayage trucks are a segment of the trucking industry that operates in close proximity to cargo ports. They move containers in and out of ports to railheads and other trucking carriers. Drayage trucks are typically second, third, or fourth generation used and older equipment with lower utilization and owned by independent owner/operators that almost exclusively serve the port. Many states and some port authorities have assistance programs for equipment upgrade, such as no or low-interest loans other efforts, to provide equipment owners with resources to purchase more modern equipment.
webinar
Explore our webinar Power on the Water - Keeping Goods Flowing and Commerce Moving: Advancements in Marine Power and Propulsion Systems which discusses reducing emissions and improving efficiency in the marine sector. This session covers current and future marine propulsion systems, fuels, operational strategies, and repowering options, as well as approaches to minimizing environmental impact in sensitive port areas. Industry leaders discuss how advancements in marine power are shaping the future of both commercial and recreational vessels.
RAILROADS: LINE HAUL AND YARD SWITCHING LOCOMOTIVES
Railroads also play a key role in moving cargo through ports. The most visible types of railroad equipment used in ports are line-haul locomotives deployed with large diesel engines. Those are typically between 3,000 and 4,000 horsepower. Smaller switcher locomotives, typically 1,000-2,000hp, are used to position and combine rail cars in the staging yard to make a complete train. EPA regulations require the use of cleaner low sulfur diesel fuel, and new engines manufactured for line-haul and switch locomotives now meet the near-zero emissions “Tier 4” standards for particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen.
In addition to new engine emissions standards, many seaports have adopted strategies to encourage more efficient operation and use of railroad equipment, such as idle reduction strategies, and the use of renewable biodiesel fuels.
Diesel is the technology of choice for large applications like locomotives and marine workboats because of its combination of power, performance, and durability. According to the U.S. EPA, these engines have an estimated useful life of about 70 years. Replacing the oldest engines with new advanced diesel technologies can yield immediate and substantial emission reductions often with improved fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
A rail operator in the Port of Tacoma, WA received DERA funding to help replace older engines that power a single switch locomotive with a single clean diesel model. In doing so, the rail operator immediately reduced 68,000 lbs. of NOx, which is roughly equivalent to the emissions reduced by taking almost 22,000 cars off the road for a year. Replacing a series of older engines with a single new clean diesel model also saved the operator 19,000 gallons of fuel each year.
CARGO HANDLING EQUIPMENT
Ports use a wide variety of specialized equipment to load, unload, shuttle, stack, and sort various kinds of cargo. While much of this equipment is mobile, some is stationary, including gantry cranes that tower over container vessels and are responsible for loading and unloading containers. Cargo handling equipment typically accounts for 5 to 7% of the NOx and PM emissions, though each port is different. In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to shift the majority of material handling equipment from diesel to electrification.
Emissions from cargo handling equipment in many ports has fallen as a result of the introduction of advanced diesel technology engines and equipment, retrofit activities to improve the emissions from older equipment, as well as electrifying some stationary engines.
The Port of Los Angeles estimates that cargo handling emissions of PM have fallen by about 87% and emissions of NOx fell by almost 65% between 2005 and 2015. The Ports of Seattle, Vancouver, and Tacoma estimate that emissions of NOx from cargo handling equipment fell by almost 57% and emissions of PM fell by 65% between 2005 and 2016.
A variety of regulations cover the emissions from diesel engines used in this equipment. EPA rules covering on-road engines include some trucks that are found performing cargo handling functions. Those rules, mentioned earlier, significantly reduce emissions to near zero levels beginning with model year 2010 engines. Other diesel-powered equipment, such as cranes and yard hostlers, is covered under the “Tier 4” off-road emissions rules that require significant near zero emissions of PM and NOx that started with model year 2014.
Federal, state, and local port authority funds are also available to modernize and upgrade older cargo handling equipment with technologies to significantly reduce emissions. Of the roughly $158 million awarded in federal diesel emissions grant funding between 2008 and 2015 for port activities, about $25 million, or 16%, helped retrofit cargo handling equipment. As an example, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency that encompasses the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, WA, received $850,000 in DERA assistance to retrofit 74 pieces of cargo handling equipment with diesel particulate filters and closed crankcase ventilation devices.
HARBOR CRAFT
Seaports and river ports are home to many marine vessels as well as harbor craft that help larger vessels and cruise ships navigate narrow ship channels. Many large seaports are also home to active ferry terminals helping to transport commuters. Inland waterways and Great Lakes ports host a large population of barges and the workboats that propel these crafts. These ferries and workboats are almost exclusively powered by diesel engines. Many of these vessels will have one or more diesel engines for prime power and may also have another set of engines to provide auxiliary electrical power.
Hybrid-diesel electric and all electric passenger ferries have been introduced in the Bay Area of California and several other locations.
EPA regulations in place governing new off-road diesel engines, such as those found in cargo handling equipment and locomotives, also apply to harbor craft. Those rules require that new engines manufactured beginning in 2015 that power tugboats, towboats, Great Lakes freighters and stationary or auxiliary engines, must meet “Tier 4” near zero emission standards. According to the EPA, these Tier 4 rules will reduce particulate matter by 90% and NOx by 80%.
Research commissioned by the Forum and the Environmental Defense Fund found that, on average, replacing older engines that power marine workboats with new clean diesel models can reduce NOx emissions by 30 tons per year. That’s the equivalent of replacing 96 port drayage trucks or taking more than 26,000 cars off the road for a year.
Case Study: Replacing Propulsion and Auxiliary Engines on the Island Eagle
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency replaced the two propulsion engines with Tier 3 models and its auxiliary engine with a Tier 4 model on the Island Eagle, a tugboat in operation in the Port of Tacoma. In doing so, the project delivered 3.2 tons of NOx emission reductions immediately to near-port communities while saving the operator 45,000 gallons of fuel each year resulting in over 1,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Ocean Going Vessels
Ocean going vessels (OGV) such as container ships are regulated by a United Nation’s treaty under the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO rules establish operational, engine technology and fuel requirements. While transiting international waters, OGVs typically use bunker fuel—a heavy petroleum product with high energy content.
These large vessels typically have a series of 4-6 diesel engines on board, with pairs of larger engines providing main propulsion power and several auxiliary engines to generate electrical power for other aspects of the ship operation.
The IMO rules also require that new engines installed on vessels since 2011 must meet USEPA Tier 2 emissions standards and beginning in 2016 new engines must meet cleaner Tier 3 rules. They also require the use of diesel fuel with lower sulfur content. Since January 1, 2020, the sulfur content of fuel used in ocean going vessel must not exceed .5%—a reduction from 3.5% allowed as of January 2, 2012. The IMO rules also allowed the US to establish emissions control areas (ECA) along the East, West, and Gulf Coasts, as well as in the Caribbean. During operations in the ECA (typically 200 miles from shore) vessels must switch their fuel to a cleaner-burning low sulfur diesel type fuel.
Reducing Carbon and Other Emissions From Ports
To reduce port related emissions and achieve sustainability goals, ports are pursuing a variety of strategies. They include upgrading to new generation of advanced diesel technology, using renewable biobased low carbon fuels, and electrifying some operations and vehicles.
Strategies to reduce emissions from mobile sources in ports generally target three areas: reducing emissions from the trucks, trains, workboats, harbor craft, and cargo handling equipment servicing the port through upgrading to newer generations of technology or by switching to new fuels and technologies; controlling emissions from the ocean-going vessels calling at the ports; and improving operational efficiencies at the port.
Significant emission reduction benefits can be realized by the replacement of the oldest diesel engines and equipment with the newest generation of diesel power equipped with the latest near-zero emissions technologies. This new technology is available for commercial trucks, material handling equipment, as well as in the largest engines used in workboats and locomotives. For the majority of applications, advanced diesel technology will likely to be the most affordable and available option to deliver near term reductions. Use of renewable low-carbon biodiesel fuels in diesel applications provides a 50 to 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Offroad engines and equipment used in port operations are principally diesel powered. New equipment produced since 2014 has undergone a transformation to near zero emissions performance.
Hybridization of some diesel powered port equipment offers promise for the future to leverage new areas of efficient and clean power and lower carbon fuels. Workboats commonly referred to as tugboats play key roles in ports. New hybrid propulsion options provide a near term means to reduce emissions and lower operating costs while boosting performance. New hybrid designs are available for some workboats, enabling operators to reduce fuel consumption in steady state operating modes.
Alternative fuels are also being introduced into some trucking operations. In California, an innovative demonstration project known as the Volvo LIGHTS Project involving 30 trucks was recently completed. Other all electric truck applications are being deployed in some port applications, mostly in California. These zero tailpipe emissions vehicles are utilized primarily for short-haul drayage and local and regional applications. Please visit our Electricity page to learn more.
Hydrogen is also poised to play a growing role in port operations during the coming years in trucks serving the port, as well as marine and other applications. Hydrogen fuel cell trucks are in the demonstration phase at the Port of Los Angeles. A hydrogen powered tugboat demonstration is underway in Belgium, where gaseous hydrogen is mixed with diesel fuel, lowering the overall carbon footprint of the operation.
Reducing emissions from ocean going vessels such as container ships, tankers, and other vessels while at berth has delivered impressive results. Once docked for loading or unloading, vessels normally operate diesel-powered generators to supply hoteling power (navigation, electricity, communications, A/C, lights, etc.). To reduce emissions from hoteling operations, a growing number of ports are adding shore power capabilities allowing vessels to eliminate or reduce emissions while at berth by plugging into shore electrical power.
In the US, there are currently 10 ports serving cruise, container and refrigerated (“reefer”) vessels, with a mix of single vessel type shore power capable ports and several ports that can serve multiple vessel types; overall number of shore power capable ports is expected to rise. Commercial shore power has grown significantly since the last report. Rules in California will require shore power for more port applications such as tankers and roll-on, roll-off carriers by 2027.
Federal funds are available to help owners of older vehicles and equipment upgrade and/or purchase new vehicles and equipment used in port operations. These funding sources include the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) program, managed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program, managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In addition, many seaports operate independent programs using local funds to help incentivize equipment and engine upgrades.
For example, funding made available through the federal DERA program in 2021 funded over $18 million in grants for port-related diesel emission reduction projects. These include replacing older engines on harbor craft and workboats, upgrading material handling equipment, and replacing older diesel powered drayage trucks with electric trucks.
