French River Port Selects dynaCERT Hydrogen for Crane Power

A French inland cargo port on the banks of the Charente River will use hydrogen to power one of its cranes for the first time.

The Port of Rochefort-Tonnary-Charentes this month began using dynaCERT’s HydraGEN technology, which converts distilled water into hydrogen and oxygen gases and then introduces those into an engine. The port aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions caused port tools and machinery such as the cranes.

The project previously tested emissions measurements on cranes with and without the dunaCERT HydraGEN technology to compare results. The Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region has supported the decarbonization impacts of the preliminary measures and aims to finance the investment required to equip the port’s five cranes by the end of this year.

“With this choice, we are reducing our environmental footprint and saving fuel,” Gérard Pons, President of the Rochefort-Tonnay-Charente Commercial Port Joint Association, said in a statement. “The port, thus becoming more competitive, is looking to the future and is consistent with the desire to maintain a cutting-edge Port, attractive to businesses and investors. This system is not just a technical improvement; it reflects our vision for a Rochefort focused on the future.”

Once part of a French Navy arsenal, the ports of Rochefort and Tonnay-Charente are now handling more than 400,000 tons of diverse commercial cargo. The goods include fertilizers, clay, wood, scap metal, tire waste and peat.

Canadian-based dynaCERT has collaborated with green hydrogen partners such as Cipher Neutron and also opened a branch office in Munich to expand its reach into European hydrogen market.

Decarbonization work at various global ports includes projects at Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Galveston, Houston, San Diego, Aalborg, Stockholm and Hamburg, among others.