Baltic Hub retrofits a Liebherr RTG with Liduro energy storage

Gdansk terminal trials a smaller genset and capacitor storage on one RTG before committing the fleet

Baltic Hub in Gdansk has commissioned Liebherr Container Cranes to fit a Liduro energy storage system and a downsized generator to one of its 18 Liebherr RTGs, a trial installation the terminal will use to judge a wider rollout.

One crane first, then the fleet

Baltic Hub — formerly DCT Gdansk — has 18 Liebherr rubber-tyred gantry cranes at the terminal. Rather than convert them in bulk, the operator has ordered a single retrofit so it can assess the technology in service before deciding whether to extend it across the fleet.

The work, carried out by Liebherr Transform, adds a Liduro energy storage system and swaps the crane’s existing 13-litre genset for a smaller 8-litre unit. Liebherr states the converted machine keeps the same travel and hoist speeds and the same productivity, while cutting operating costs, emissions and fuel consumption by more than 30 per cent — and describes the change as cost neutral over the payback period.

“Baltic Hub, like many ports and terminals worldwide are working to minimise their impact on the environment, through reducing their carbon footprint. The green energy solution that they have chosen, not only makes a significant reduction in the amount of energy consumed and the amount of emissions released, but the return on investment is clear to see, with the retrofit paying for itself in the short term.”

— Oran Kane, Head of Department, Upgrades and Modifications, Liebherr Container Cranes

Recovering the lowering energy

At the centre of the package is the Liduro LES 200, a capacitor system developed by Liebherr-Electronics and Drives GmbH. It captures energy generated while the hoist lowers and while the crane brakes, then releases it during the hoisting cycle so that the genset does not have to supply the full peak demand. That is what allows the smaller engine to do the same job.

Dual-layer capacitors are used because they tolerate very large numbers of rapid charge and discharge cycles without losing performance — the pattern a container crane produces, with high power required in short bursts, is a poor fit for chemistry that degrades under fast cycling.

Modular and retrofittable

The system is modular: depending on how hard a terminal works its cranes, one or more units can be installed on a single RTG. It is available factory-fitted on new Liebherr RTGs or as a retrofit to machines already in service, handled by the manufacturer’s specialist upgrade teams under the Liebherr Transform banner.