SC Port Authority awarded EPA grant to reduce RTG crane diesel emissions

South Carolina Ports Authority and the South Carolina Department of Health received a $2 million federal grant to upgrade the engines of 12 rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes, port officials announced yesterday.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the grant through its Diesel Emissions Reduction Act program. The funding will equip the RTG cranes with hybrid battery/genset engine systems, replacing the existing hi-power diesel engines, port authority officials said in a press release.

The new engines will reduce emissions of particulate matter, air toxins and nitrogen oxides up to 96 percent while reducing annual fuel consumption by over 100,000 gallons, they said.

The RTG cranes are used to move and stack cargo boxes on Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Port officials took the initiative with the state's health department to invest in equipment that is efficient and environmentally friendly, said Barbara Melvin, the authority's chief operating officer.

CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway serve South Carolina's Port of Charleston.