NIJMEGEN, Netherlands and GREENVILLE, N.C. (January 2025) — Hyster, a leading provider of materials-handling equipment, is to provide Malta Freeport Terminals with a battery electric empty container handler powered entirely by 650-volt lithium-ion batteries.
The equipment, utilising lithium-ion battery power for single empty container handling, has a capability of stacking eight-high and will significantly reduce greenhouse emissions at Malta Freeport Terminals
The battery electric container handler pilot will contribute to CMA CGM’s objectives to accelerate its energy transition and achieve net-zero carbon by 2050. To help achieve this decarbonisation objective across its shipping, inland, and logistics operations, the company has created ‘PULSE, CMA CGM Energy Fund’, to accelerate the decarbonization of all of the CMA CGM Group’s activities and its value chain. PULSE will fund the two-year pilot agreement for the Hyster® battery electric empty container handler, helping the CMA CGM Group and its subsidiary Terminal Link make reductions to its greenhouse gas emissions specifically at Malta Freeport in Birżebbuġa, Malta.
Alex Montebello, CEO at Malta Freeport Terminals Ltd, said: “The introduction of the Hyster battery electric empty container handler at Malta Freeport is an important step in reducing emissions in our Terminal operations as part of our commitment to eliminating carbon emissions by 2050. This collaboration will help us to leverage cutting-edge, sustainable technology to meet our decarbonisation goals while maintaining the efficiency and reliability that our operations demand.”
Niek Willems, Leader of Business Development, Global Ports and Terminals for Hyster, said: “We have a long-standing connection with CMA CGM, which has been a global Hyster customer for more than a decade and has used Hyster empty container handlers in its Malta Freeport Terminals since 2016. We also recently collaborated with them on the iTerminals 4.0 project, piloting programmes that harness digitalisation to explore smart maintenance for port equipment. Working together to pioneer the use of a lithium-ion battery-powered empty container handler is the next exciting development in this relationship.”
The design of the battery electric empty container handler for Malta Freeport Terminals, based on the equivalent diesel model to provide a familiar user experience for operators, is the result of years of Hyster research and development around port equipment electrification. It follows projects such as the pilot of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered top-pick container handler at the Port of Los Angeles, and a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Reach Stacker to the Port of Valencia. All these innovative developments aim to transform operations which have previously depended on trucks with internal combustion engines and provide real-world solutions that enable businesses to meet their sustainability goals.
ABOUT HYSTER
Hyster® is one of the leading global brands of materials handling equipment and Hyster Europe, a trading name of Hyster-Yale UK Limited, a subsidiary of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (www.hyster.com), is a leading worldwide lift truck designer and manufacturer, offering more than 140 models of counterbalance trucks, warehouse, and container handling equipment. The company invests heavily in research and development so Hyster® products are at the forefront of the materials handling industry providing maximum dependability and low costs of ownership for demanding operations everywhere.
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster-Yale, Inc. (NYSE:HY) which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and operates globally.
ABOUT CMA CGM GROUP
Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group, is a leading global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, distinguished by its expertise and commitment to innovation. With operations spanning 160 countries through its network of more than 400 offices, 750 warehouses and a fleet of 620 vessels, the Group connects over 420 ports around the world across 5 continents, delivering a comprehensive array of shipping and logistics services. The Group transported 22 million TEU containers (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2023. Firmly committed to the energy transition in shipping and a pioneer in its use of alternative fuels, the CMA CGM Group has set a Net Zero-Carbon target for 2050. Through its focus on sustainability, digital transformation, and customer satisfaction, CMA CGM continuously adapts to the evolving needs of global trade. Its dedication to excellence, backed by a workforce of 160,000 employees, ensures efficient, secure, and innovative transport services worldwide.
ABOUT MALTA FREEPORT TERMINALS LTD.
Malta Freeport Terminals is a state-of-the-art transhipment hub strategically located in the heart of the Mediterranean Freeport handling almost 3 million TEU containers a year and offering services to more than 100 ports worldwide on mainline and feeder routes operated by major global shipping lines. Following a €400 million investment programme in infrastructural development, equipment, digitalisation, and personnel development, Malta Freeport is one of the few facilities in the Mediterranean region capable of handling the world’s largest megamax ships, with a capacity in excess of 23,000 TEU containers. Malta Freeport was established by the Maltese government in 1988. Following a privatisation process in 2004, the government awarded a 30-year concession to operate and develop Malta Freeport Terminals, which was subsequently extended to 2069. The company is today jointly owned by Terminal Link – made up of CMA CGM and China Merchants Port Holdings Company Ltd – and Yilport Holding Inc of Turkey.
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