The only fully automated container terminal in the Southern Hemisphere, Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) at the Port of Melbourne, has purchased four new hybrid automatic container carriers to “expand capacity and reduce emissions”.

The four Kalmar container carriers each feature a twin-box lifting capacity of up to 60 T with hybrid lithium-ion batteries which VICT says contributes to a 40% increase in energy efficiency and a 50 T CO2 emission reduction per carrier annually.

The carriers are scheduled for delivery in 2025.

Bruno Porchietto, VICT chief executive officer says of the deal: "These new hybrid carriers are part of our expansion plan, which will increase our capacity to 1.5 million TEUs annually”.

VICT is a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services and operates seven remotely controlled ship-to-shore cranes (five super post-Panamax and two ultra post-Panamax – the largest in Australia), 17 ACCs, and 26 automated stacking cranes (ASCs). All cranes are equipped with energy recovery systems, contributing to the terminal's energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction goals.

The investment in the new automatic container carriers follows a record year for VICT in 2024, during which it handled its five millionth TEU since opening in 2017.