Portonave invests R$61 million in new electric equipment

Portonave, Brazil’s first private container terminal, has purchased 30 electric terminal tractors from Terberg, manufactured in Malaysia, and five electric reach stackers from Kalmar, produced in China, as part of its energy transition and operational productivity strategy.

The investment totals approximately R$61 million and forms part of the company’s broader R$2 billion investment plan.

The equipment will be used to move containers in the terminal yard and will be delivered gradually. All units are expected to begin operating by January 2027.

Compared with diesel-powered equipment, the new electric models significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and are part of Portonave’s decarbonization plan.

The company estimates an emissions reduction of around 80% for its reach stacker fleet and 30% for its terminal tractor fleet.

With the arrival of the new equipment, part of the diesel terminal tractor fleet will be replaced. Portonave will operate 61 terminal tractors in total, including 31 electric units and 30 diesel-powered vehicles.

Its reach stacker fleet will include six electric units and one diesel machine.

The equipment also includes safety features such as ergonomic cabins, perimeter monitoring cameras, anti-collision systems and automatic fire-suppression systems.

The new electric reach stackers are equipped with 800 kWh batteries, about 50% more capacity than the 533 kWh battery on the reach stacker currently operating at the terminal. The higher capacity is expected to improve operational efficiency.

To support the electric fleet, Portonave will build a charging station with nine chargers for electric equipment.

The company also said electric equipment requires different operating procedures, particularly for battery use, management and optimization. Operations teams will therefore be trained to operate the new machines.

The equipment investment was made under Reporto, a Brazilian tax regime designed to support the development and modernization of national ports.

Created by law in 2004, Reporto grants federal tax exemptions to port and rail companies purchasing equipment, allowing them to acquire machinery without paying import-related federal taxes such as the IPI industrialized products tax, import duty, PIS and Cofins-Importação.

R$2 billion investment plan

Portonave’s broader investment package includes quay upgrades designed to allow the terminal to handle vessels up to 400 meters long and with drafts of up to 17 meters.

It also includes the purchase of new equipment, including two electric ship-to-shore cranes, used to move containers between vessels and the yard, and 14 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes, used for yard operations.

In 2025, Portonave received the first equipment under the plan: two container inspection scanners and one electric reach stacker.

After the investments are completed, the terminal will operate eight ship-to-shore cranes, 32 electric rubber-tired gantry cranes, seven reach stackers, 61 terminal tractors, four electric vehicles and four scanners.

The expansion will increase the terminal’s capacity from 1.5 million TEUs to 2 million TEUs. A TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent unit, is the standard measure used to express container capacity.

Source: Portonave

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