Port Logistics
The Case for Propane
The C₃H₈ Solution
Propane at the Port is a “Ready-Now” Path to Cleaner, Cheaper, 24/7 Throughput
Ports are under simultaneous pressures that rarely align: improve air quality for neighboring communities, decarbonize for shippers and regulators, and do it all without compromising reliability or budgets. From an hour-long discussion with Jim Bunsey, Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), Sydney Eick, MAFI Transport Systems, and John Barnett, Suburban Propane LPX, one theme emerged with unusual clarity: propane is a here-and-now solution that helps terminals cut emissions and costs while preserving the operational tempo container yards demand.
By Greg Trauthwein
Key take aways for port operators considering propane:
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It works now. Decades of forklift duty prove propane’s indoor air-quality credentials; modern yard tractors bring that experience outside with diesel-like performance.
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It cuts emissions meaningfully. Real-world data show up to 99% NOx and near-zero PM versus diesel; lifecycle CI is better than the U.S. grid today and much lower with renewable propane.
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It saves money. Even after higher volumetric burn, fuel cost per unit of work typically falls 20–50%; case studies like WBCT approach $1M/year savings. Maintenance is simpler; uptime improves.
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It scales quickly. Mobile skids and drop-in molecules let ports pilot in days and expand without grid constraints, spreading CapEx via fuel contracts if desired.
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It’s domestic and dependable. The U.S. is the world’s largest propane exporter—supply is abundant, pricing is stable, and nationwide delivery networks are in place.
The Emissions Math
Talk to operators and they’ll tell you: headline numbers are nice; real-world results move capital plans. PERC, MAFI and PNCT (Port Newark Container Terminal) instrumented side-by-side diesel and propane yard tractors over a demanding route that includes PNCT’s flyover ramp. Using portable emissions measurement (PEMS), the propane unit reduced NOx by as much as 99% and knocked particulate matter to near-background levels in both idle and load conditions, Bunsey said. CO₂ fell roughly 14% and hydrocarbons about 51% versus the reference diesel.
Those are tailpipe numbers. When port sustainability teams step back to the full-fuel lifecycle, carbon intensity (CI) becomes decisive. Barnett noted the U.S. grid averages ~131 gCO₂e/MJ; conventional propane comes in around 79 gCO₂e/MJ; and renewable propane [already in commercial use] can be as low as 20–30 gCO₂e/MJ. “It’s not a science experiment anymore,” Bunsey said. “We’re shipping over 40 million gallons a year of renewable propane today, with more biorefineries coming online.”
Propane’s affordable, reliable, and available today. With renewable propane, it’s a fuel of the future, not a bridge.”
- Jim Bunsey,
Senior Manager, Business Development, Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)
Cost, Continuity Beat the Alternatives
Ports run on throughput. If a fueling solution undermines cycle time or adds complexity, it stalls on the quay. Here propane’s operational familiarity and refuel time stand out. “Most propane terminal tractors carry about 80 gallons on board and refuel in 10–15 minutes, the same cadence as diesel,” Bunsey said. Eick added that MAFI’s T-230 propane tractor with the PSI 8.8-liter engine “delivers the low-speed torque yards need for pin-to-pin moves, cold-starts quickly, and avoids DPF regens and DEF logistics. Operators notice the quieter cab and the lack of diesel odor around the stack lanes.”
Total operating cost is where propane punches hardest.
Accounting for energy content (you’ll burn roughly 20% more gallons than diesel for the same work) still leaves 20–50% fuel cost savings in most cases. On the U.S. West Coast, stacking LCFS credits and local fuel spreads, WBCT’s long-running propane fleet is “saving nearly $1 million a year in operating costs,” Bunsey said. “That’s ROI without grants.”
Maintenance and uptime trends reinforce the economics: fewer after-treatment fault codes, no regen interruptions, straightforward diagnostics, and service parts that are widely available. “Technicians know the architecture,” Eick said. “It’s familiar ICE territory without the diesel exhaust headaches.”
Infrastructure You can Roll into Place
Electrification is growing and it has a role, but the grid upgrade timeline is measured in years, not weeks. Propane infrastructure, by contrast, is modular and often deployed in days. “We’ve learned to build around the reality that port real estate moves,” Barnett said. Suburban recently delivered PNCT a mobile fueling skid: a 5,000-gallon tank and dispenser on a trailer, powered by a propane generator. “They can tow it to where the work is. No hard-wiring. If the yard layout changes, the station moves with it.”
That portability also supports scalable rollouts. “If a terminal wants to trial one tractor, we’ll spot a bobtail and fill on site,” Barnett said. “If they scale to 50 or 100 units, we add tanks and dispensers. We can even fold station CapEx into a fuel contract — ‘plus a few cents per gallon’ — so fleet managers budget Opex, not one-time infrastructure hits.”
Propane’s low working pressure of about ~100–200 psi, depending on ambient temperature, keeps hardware modest compared to CNG (~3,600 psi) or hydrogen (up to 12,000 psi). “Lower pressure means lighter, cheaper tanks and lines,” Bunsey said. “That’s why marketers can stand up fueling quickly and economically.”
From the cab, operators tell me it pulls like diesel without the after-treatment headaches, and the yard runs quieter,” Eick added.
- Sydney Eick,
Director of Sales, North America, MAFI Transport Systems
Noise Matters
If you’ve ever stood between reefer stacks or along a busy transfer lane, you know fatigue is part of the job. The panelists called out a benefit that rarely makes spec sheets: noise reduction. During a PNCT “propane heroes” event, they watched a diesel tractor pull up for service immediately after several MAFI propane units rolled by. The difference was obvious. “Drivers are choosing propane over diesel on noise alone,” Bunsey said. Eick hears the same from operators: “They tell me the propane tractor feels like electric by the end of a 10-hour shift, without the charging queues.”
Renewable Propane
The equipment doesn’t change. “The molecule is C₃H₈ either way,” Barnett said. “If you’re running propane today, you can run renewable propane tomorrow—no retuning, no elastomer swaps, no infrastructure modifications. Your carbon footprint drops immediately.” Suburban already supplies renewable propane to all motor-fuel customers in California and is expanding deliveries up the West Coast and into Florida.
As volumes rise, blending strategies (from 1% to 100% renewable) allow ports to optimize CI reductions against budget. Bunsey pointed to emerging feedstocks—including captured carbon + renewable hydrogen routes—that can drive CI even lower. “This is your path to net-zero, using assets ports can deploy now,” he said.
We can fuel a trial this week and scale to a fleet with mobile or permanent stations, one number to call, coast to coast,” Barnett said.
- John Barnett,
Manager of New Markets Business Development, Suburban Propane LPX
MAFI’s Field Experience: Diesel-like Pull, Fewer Headaches
Eick is blunt about what matters at the quay: “It pulls like our diesel. That’s what supervisors tell me.” In mixed-shift container yards, MAFI’s propane T-230 keeps pace with equivalent diesel builds without DPF/SCR downtime. Supervisors like the quick refuel and fewer after-treatment tickets; safety managers appreciate quieter operations around pedestrians; technicians like straight-forward diagnostics. “When yards ask me for an alternative, I show them propane first,” Eick said. “It’s clean, efficient, and available today.”
MAFI’s learnings translate across sites, she added. “We now carry a template for on-site tanks, fueling layout, and common spec that ports can adopt from Long Beach to Newark to APM. The barriers tend to be permitting or internal change management—coordination problems, not showstoppers.”
Reliability at National Scale
For 24/7 terminals, fuel logistics cannot fail. Barnett outlined Suburban’s approach: long-built supply chains, dedicated delivery fleets, remote tank telemetry, and tailored schedules. “We support multi-site operators with centralized account management and local service teams,” he said. “Start small in one terminal and scale across the network without reinventing the playbook.”
That national footprint also supports edge cases. Need to charge EV yard tractors before the substation upgrade lands? “We’re powering propane generators that charge electric fleets faster than the grid can be built,” Barnett said. Moving new-build EV cars off a ro/ro ship that arrives at 5% SOC? Same answer: temporary propane generation at the pier head.
For ports staring down 2030 targets with 2026 budgets, it’s hard to ignore a solution that improves air, preserves uptime, and pays for itself—all while leaving the door open for deeper CI cuts through renewable blends. On the waterfront, that combination is rare. Propane’s case is simple: Cleaner. Cheaper. Continuous.
