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DaChan Bay Terminals today (3 November 2025) announced the completion of a conversion programme to discontinue operation of all its diesel container trucks, making it the first terminal in Shenzhen to eliminate the use of diesel in all in-yard tractors. DaChan Bay Terminals in western Shenzhen is operated by Modern Terminals Limited.

The final batch of battery-swap tractors was delivered in late July and all units have been put into operation since then.  The electric tractor fleet has been running smoothly and no diesel tractor is used in the daily operations.  As a result, 72% and 28% of the internal haulage fleet at DaChan Bay Terminals are battery-swap tractors and LNG-powered tractors respectively.

This landmark achievement is estimated to reduce approximately 3,520 tonnes of direct carbon emissions annually, a 62% reduction of the terminals’ direct emissions (Scope1), marking a significant step towards Modern Terminals’ goal of eliminating direct emissions from its operations in both DaChan Bay and Hong Kong by 2030 and to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Horace Lo, Group Managing Director of Modern Terminals Limited said: “This is indeed an important milestone in our decarbonisation journey.  We would not have been able to achieve this without the unwavering support from the local government and our internal haulage contractors.   We have selected the battery-swap tractors as it only takes less than 5 minutes for the swapping process.  We are considering to adopt the same approach in our terminal facility in Hong Kong.”

The deployment of battery-swap tractors brings multiple benefits beyond emissions reduction, including improved air quality, lower noise levels, and reduced vibration for drivers’ comfort — creating a more pleasant and quieter environment for people working at the terminals and the surrounding communities.

DaChan Bay Terminals has consistently led the way in its decarbonisation efforts as it was the world’s first container terminal to deploy a full fleet of electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes in 2007; the first terminal in South China to offer shore power at all berths in 2019; and it has Shenzhen’s first electric tugboat operating since mid-July this year.