Page 18: of Marine News Magazine (September 2025)

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Fuel Transition

Propane 8 Steps for Ports to Upgrade from

Diesel to Propane

A step-by-step guide for port operators looking to upgrade their equipment to propane.

By Jim Bunsey, Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)

Step 1: De? ne Your Goals

With uncertainty around tariffs

Start by establishing clear objectives — these might be and the overall economy putting stress on bottom lines environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives and operations, many ports are looking at adopting pro- related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions or improving pane-powered equipment, such as terminal tractors and local air quality. Other objectives could focus on lowering forklifts. Propane can not only help reduce fuel costs com- fuel and maintenance costs or just improving equipment pared to diesel, but it also helps reduce harmful nitrogen performance, reliability, and uptime. By de? ning clear oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions while goals up front, it not only helps guide the direction of the maintaining operational uptime and ef? ciency. transition process but also helps you track the success and

Understandably, the thought of moving an entire or even ROI of your investments over time.

just part of a ? eet to a new energy source can be daunt- ing. But by delaying updates to equipment, it could mean Step 2: Take an Inventory of Your Diesel Fleet losing out on valuable savings and ef? ciencies. Although Your next step is to take a full inventory of your current making the switch to propane won’t happen overnight, it’s diesel-powered equipment, making sure to note details like easier than you might think. This guide will walk port op- equipment type, age, usage patterns, fuel consumption, erators through the eight steps they should follow to make maintenance records, and emissions pro? les. This assess- a successful, seamless upgrade to propane. ment gives you a baseline to help identify which pieces of

PERC 18 | MN September 2025