Contship has deployed its first fully electric port tractor at La Spezia Container Terminal in Italy, with the unit assigned to Hannibal for internal shuttle operations under a pilot project to electrify the quay tractor fleet and reduce Scope 1 emissions, according to Contship.
The group said terminal operations are suited to electric tractors because charging infrastructure is close to the point of use and repeated stop-start cycles improve regenerative braking efficiency. Contship said the vehicle is expected to optimise energy consumption during container-handling moves while lowering noise and vibration levels for workers.
The investment was co-financed through the Green Ports PNRR programme under a call managed by the Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea. Contship tied the project to the wider Green Ports programme backed by Next Generation EU funding and aimed at cutting CO2 emissions and improving air quality in port areas.
Simone Pacciardi, head of EU relations, EU project management and PNRR funds at the port authority, said the programme was intended to decarbonise port activities. Denise Sofia, head of ESG at Contship, linked the project to the group’s “Moves that Matter” strategy and SBTi-aligned decarbonisation targets.
Contship Italia Group integrates containerised logistics services through port, intermodal and supply-chain activities across its network.
Hannibal is the group’s multimodal transport operator focused on national and international freight movements.
La Spezia Container Terminal is part of the group’s port logistics platform in Liguria and is one of the operating assets within its Italian terminal network.
