MITSUI E&S Deploys Hydrogen Fuel-Cell RTG Crane at Yokohama’s Minami Honmoku Terminal

MITSUI E&S Co., Ltd. has successfully retrofitted a rubber tired gantry (RTG) crane with a hydrogen fuel-cell power pack at the Minami Honmoku Pier Container Terminal in Yokohama. The upgrade replaces the crane’s conventional diesel generator, enabling fully hydrogen-powered operations and eliminating carbon dioxide emissions during cargo handling.

The project is being conducted in partnership with Utoc Corporation, which operates the terminal and is leading the on-site demonstration. The crane, previously a near-zero-emission model, now runs solely on hydrogen, representing a further step in port decarbonisation.

The deployment aligns with Japan’s national push toward clean port technologies. In February 2024, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced that demonstration projects involving hydrogen RTG cranes would take place at both Yokohama and Kobe ports.

This latest initiative builds on earlier hydrogen RTG advancements by MITSUI E&S. In October 2023, the company undertook trials of near-zero and zero-emission cranes at Tokyo’s Oi Container Terminal. In May 2024, its U.S. subsidiary, PACECO, launched commercial operations of the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell RTG crane at the Port of Los Angeles. Headquartered in Tokyo, MITSUI E&S is a publicly traded firm specialising in heavy machinery, naval vessels, and logistics systems. Utoc Corporation, based in Yokohama and led by President Nobuo Shiotsu, manages terminal operations and is responsible for hosting the hydrogen RTG project at Minami Honmoku.