Archives



Feature, Freight News, Sea


DP World ‘is Antwerp’s greenest terminal’

[ May 13, 2022   //   ]

DP World in Antwerp says it continues to be one of the greenest container terminals in the port in its latest sustainability report.

The terminal has reduced its CO2 emissions by 28% since 2019, which represents an overall 51% reduction since 2013. Much of this has been due to investment in hybrid straddle carriers and Automated Stacking Cranes (ASCs), which are also increasing capacity.

The terminal runs on 100% green energy, and it has avoided 187,379 truck visits in the last two years due to night openings. These initiatives have also reduced nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter emissions.

DP World in Antwerp produces a sustainability report every two years to ensure it stays on track while providing full visibility to its customers and stakeholders.

Currently contributing 3% to all emissions, the shipping sector has been singled out in helping to reach global emission reduction goals. The industry has set itself a goal to reach 40% reduction in carbon output compared to 2008 level by 2040, and to halve it by 2050.

DP World says that one of its most impressive achievements is the amount of electricity it is generating on site in Antwerp, which accounted for 74% of the energy it used in 2021, through its biogas plant (59%) and its on-site wind turbines (15%). The shortfall is purchased from a local green energy supplier, but the firm aims to reduce this to zero as it becomes 100% self-powered in future.

It has also invested heavily in more energy efficient technology, with more expensive hybrid and electric equipment being purchased as part of its commitment to its environmental ambitions. It now has a total of 43 hybrid straddle carriers on-site and 10 electric ASC modules, with two more expected to be operational by the end of 2022 and a plan to add eight more by 2024.

The ASCs are fully automatic, allowing more containers to be stacked, both higher and closer together, saving space and using almost 50% less energy on the landside to process a container than a straddle carrier.

DP World in Antwerp is also offering multimodal transport options to reduce the number of truck journeys required. Its rail hub has capacity for six trains up to 750m long simultaneously and handles up to 40 trains each week, to every major European industrial region.

The port is also connected to the 1,500km-long Belgian waterways and the European river and canal network, with 35% of all cargo to and from DP World in Antwerp being transported by barge.

The team at Antwerp also recently moved their operations into a new, eco-friendly office, which celebrated its official inauguration in April this year. The energy-efficient building uses concrete core activation for cleaner heating and 100% renewable electricity.

Tags: