Savannah unveils North America’s first ERTGs

The new ERTG system was developed with the help of Konecranes, Conductix-Wampfler and Georgia Power, which provided the cranes, the new power system and the electrical infrastructure, respectively.

While relying on cleaner, shore-based power to handle containers, the ERTGs feature the ability to automatically switch to diesel generators when moving from stack to stack. All functions are controlled by the ERTG crane operator.

Long-term plans call for retrofitting Savannah’s Garden City Terminal’s fleet of diesel-powered RTGs to use shore power via retractable arms which will link to a conductor rail system, bringing the total number of ERTGs to 169 by 2022. Repowering the RTGs will be a multi-year initiative, requiring new cranes to be ordered with electric power capabilities, and some older cranes to be retrofitted. When complete, the ERTG fleet will allow the port to avoid the use of an estimated 5.97m gallons of diesel each year. This will result in a net savings of nearly US$10m each year, even after the purchase of electricity is factored in.