Vessels, semis, and cargo-handling equipment will be converted to run on biodiesel and renewable electricity at one of North America’s Great Lakes’ busiest ports
Biofuels and electrification will be introduced for vessels within the Port of Detroit after the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority approved a roadmap to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority unveiled details of an ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions, starting in 2024 and reaching net-zero within 15 years.
There are plans to significantly reduce the Port of Detroit’s carbon footprint by immediately introducing biodiesel, an domestically produced low carbon biofuel that emits an average of 74% fewer carbon emissions than petroleum diesel. Plans are also in place to transition larger ships to biodiesel, smaller vessels to battery-electric propulsion, and port equipment and semis to electric and hydrogen power over time.
“We must work to convert from fossil fuels to low and no emissions power sources in our ships, port equipment, and trucks by 2040 to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change,” said Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority executive director Mark Schrupp.
“But we are not just concerned about 2040. The steps we are announcing will have an immediate impact on air quality and will improve the lives of residents in our community.”
To achieve this ambitious goal, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority set out to establish a baseline of carbon emissions through a combination of estimates and analysis of voluntary data provided by terminal operators in 2022. The Port Authority worked with UK-headquartered Tunley Environmental and received funding from the State of Michigan to develop the plan to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2040.
The analysis found that the port region was responsible for 27,869 tons of CO2 and equivalent emissions per year, including emissions such as NOx and particulate matter which have had a detrimental effect on health in the community for decades.
“Southwest Detroit and downriver communities have some of the highest asthma rates in the country,” said Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) executive director Raquel Garcia.
“The plans announced – such as converting to biodiesel fuel immediately – will improve the quality of the air we breathe.”
The net-zero plan advocates the transition to electric and hydrogen-powered port equipment and vessels, and continued research for a zero-emissions replacement fuel for cargo ships.
“This report is not an end, but a beginning in the Port of Detroit’s road to becoming a sustainable port and reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2040,” said the port authority’s chairman and Wayne County commissioner Jonathan Kinloch.
“We envision a port that is economically and environmentally viable, where good jobs, growing businesses, and clean air can thrive together. This plan helps set a course for us to follow.”
By 2030, the port hopes to have 50% of large cargo ships on biodiesel, 50% of smaller vessels electrified, 100% of cargo handling equipment running on biodiesel, and all electricity the port consumes to be renewable. The port also expects half its semis to be hydrogen or electric-powered with the balance running on biodiesel.
Under the plan, by 2035, 80% of small vessels will be electrified and 80% of ships will be operating on biodiesel, all goods handling will be 100% emissions free and 80% of semis will be hydrogen or electric powered.
By 2040, the plan sets a goal of all ships running on biodiesel and smaller vessels using batteries, while hydrogen and other zero-emissions fuels are phased in and 100% of all semis will be utilizing technologies such as hydrogen or electric.
The Port of Detroit is one of the largest inland ports in the US, located along the Detroit and Rouge Rivers within Wayne County, between Lake Erie and Lake St Clair. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority oversees the port, which is made up of marine terminals handling general, liquid and bulk cargo, and passengers. It estimates around 420 vessels called at the port in 2022.
Tunley Environmental has an ongoing contract to support the port authority with implementing low-carbon technologies. It led the year-long project to produce the plan for net zero by 2040 and ascertain existing emissions using data and operational information voluntarily shared by terminal operators in the port.
The Port of Detroit also partnered with SDEV on community outreach efforts and the Michigan Advanced Biofuels Coalition on efforts to educate operators and nearby stakeholders on the immediate health and environmental benefits of biodiesel.
Biodiesel use on the Great Lakes is expected to grow significantly by 2026 when the International Maritime Organization’s voluntary carbon reduction targets begin.
To learn more about the plan, watch the video above or click here.
Originally shared by Riviera, August 26, 2024. Article and title edited for clarity and purpose, August 26, 2024.