It’s fitting that a beer company would be the first customer for an electric ship on inland canals.
The ship is unique, because it uses rcontgainers of rechargable batteries as power. The containers can be swapped at either end of the voyage to renew the power source.
Inland waterway traffic in Europe is very important to reduce the level of pollution fom trucks. Most EU countries have set goals to increase the amount of inland waterway barge traffic, to reduce the trucks on the road. This vessel is even better, since it does not generate any emissions at all, whereas a diesel barge would generate some.
Hope they get more of them!
7 September 2021
Port Technology International Team
Maersk is one of the largest, and possibly the most advanced, ocean carriers. The LA/LongBeach ports have been a problem area for air pollution and sustainabiolity for many years. There’s no rail connection directly to the ports, and even so, rail is powered by diesel.
Presently containers are trucked to outlying areas like Riverside or San Bernardino where there are many distribution centers. Ocean containers are 40-feet long. They are often ‘transloaded’ to 53-foot trailers which are the standard size in the US, for long distance travel to the destination. That transloading is done at the distribution centers. Or cargo is delivered direct to customers within the LA basin.
Electric trucks have zero emissions when measured by today’s standards. They also should require substantially less maintenance, without an internal combustion engine (ICE). Using the trucks for these short hauls will reduce pollution near the ports, and also on the LA freeways. And with a fixed route they can be kept charged easily at charging stations near the port. It’s a good thing to try out.
Maersk has made a big point of their commitment to get to zero emissions by 2050. This is one more experiment in the process.
Volvo makes the trucks in Virginia, and they are supposed to be rolling off the assembly line by now.
1 September 2021 Port Technology International Team
Amazon has lit on the very best use case for electric vehicles. Last mile delivery generates lots of rips and lots of air pollution. It looks like they are going to invest big in improving their carbon footprint in the last mile delivery.
I believe it makes strategic sense and well as driving long-term cost reduction for Amazon. And it’s a lot more eco-friendly. Fleets like Amazon uses, with traveling-salesman-type routes from a depot or distribution center, are best positioned to mitigate the problems with electric vehicles– shorter distances before fuel-up, and longer time to refuel.
Supply Chain and Logistics 