Port Newark Container Terminal Commits to Propane

WASHINGTON (Dec. 12, 2022) — The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) announced the commitment of Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) to reduce emissions by using propane equipment at its location in Newark, New Jersey.

After seeing initial success with a prototype propane-powered port tractor, PNCT has decided to move ahead with replacing its entire diesel-powered port tractor fleet and convert to propane.

During the month of December, PNCT is conducting a side-by-side analysis of MAFI’s demonstrative propane port tractor with the terminal’s current diesel models. The comparison will account for fuel efficiency, run time, torque, power and emissions output, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

“Propane is the future of clean, low-carbon energy at ports,” Joe Calhoun, director of off-road development at PERC said. “Through their commitment, PNCT is leading the way toward meaningful emissions reduction at ports. We feel confident any ports that follow the same path as PNCT to test propane equipment will discover that it is the best energy source to cleanly and efficiently power their operations.”

The MAFI port tractor is powered by PSI’s 8.8-liter propane engine that is certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) for use in mobile, off-road applications. The engine emits .02 grams of NOx per brake horsepower, making it one of the cleanest propane engines available on the market. The engine also offers 270 horsepower with 565 lb-ft of torque. MAFI is an international heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer.

“We are impressed with the performance of MAFI’s port tractor,” said Charlie Ferlisi, director of engineering and equipment services at PNCT. “Propane is efficient, powerful and clean, making it an environmentally safe choice for our longshoremen to decarbonize the port. We are excited to deploy this technology and be one of the first ports to adopt clean propane.”

To learn more about PNCT, visit pnct.net.