DP World receives first all-electric terminal tractor

DP World has received the first all-electric terminal tractor at a British port in a significant step forward in greening the UK logistics sector.

The Terberg YT203-EV terminal tractor, which is entering service at London Gateway (pictured), will primarily be used for transporting goods the two mile distance from the quayside to a distribution facility at the adjacent logistics park.

The global port operator plans to make its entire fleet of 11 terminal tractors at London Gateway all-electric in the near future.

UK Chief Executive Ernst Schulze said the first all-electric terminal tractor will play a key part in improving local air quality and contribute to the Net Zero 2050 policy.

“We have a clear responsibility to reduce the impact of our operations and to offer customers solutions that support their own sustainability journeys," he said.

"The close proximity of London Gateway to Europe’s largest consumer market gives us a natural advantage, while our investment in rail interconnectivity at both our hubs eases congestion on the roads, with the emphasis on rail across both our UK ports taking 300,000 trucks off the roads each year.”

Earlier this month DP World announced that its container terminal at Southampton had become the first in Britain to eliminate fossil diesel from its operations entirely. By transitioning to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) net carbon dioxide emissions have been cut by more than 80% (click here). 

Maha AlQattan, Group Chief People & Sustainability Officer, said it believes in protecting  its people and planet through "world-class environmental standards".

"Our sustainability strategy ‘Our World, Our Future’ is woven into everything we do supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals across safety, climate change, security, community engagement, people development, ethics and wellbeing," she said. 

The first all-electric terminal tractor at a British port is one part of DP World’s commitment to improving and expanding the nation’s trading infrastructure in the most sustainable way possible.

It is investing £300mn in a fourth berth at London Gateway - which could be 100% electric when it is completed in 2024 - building on the £2bn investment DP World has made in Britain over the last decade.