Massive Liebherr electric crane lifts 300 tons in the Netherlands

The first massive Liebherr LHM 800e mobile electric harbor crane just reached the Hartel Terminal in Maasvlakte, the Netherlands, and the crew at Marcor Stevedoring has wasted no time putting it to work.

Dubbed “the most powerful mobile harbor crane in the world” by its makers, the Liebherr LHM 800e offers a maximum lifting capacity of over 300 tons – and, thanks to its huge size and precision controls, the ability to move more than 2300 tons per hour. It’s ideal, in other words, for a major container port looking to decarbonize its operations.

“Our first Liebherr LHM 800e, with its 64 meter reach (about 210 ft.) and peak capacity exceeding 2,000 tons per hour, (it) perfectly alligns with our bulk, bagged and containerized stevedoring operations,” a spokesperson for Marcor said. “The crane is not only unique in its performance and capabilities. It is also the first of its kind to operate fully electrified.”

Marcor Stevedoring operates at Hartel Terminal in the Netherlands, which has a 130,000 square meter terminal and a 600 meter quay with a 16 meter draft alongside.

The company serves as a logistical bridge between the port’s quay and storage warehouses for dry bulk cargo – and that’s important, because traffic continues to grow. “The European mineral raw materials industry experienced a significant upsurge in the production of minerals essential for clean energy technologies, as highlighted in a World Bank report,” writes Adnan Bajic at Project Cargo Journal. “The surge is primarily driven by the demand for minerals and metals crucial for the implementation of renewable energy strategies and associated infrastructure, such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, among others.”

And that growth? It’s happening at a time when more and more European countries are taking aggressive measures to slash greenhouse gas emissions 55% by 2030, and be fully carbon neutral by 2050.

“With the LHM 800, we have gained a competitive edge in the dry bulk market,” comments Danny Swart, Director of Marcor Stevedoring. “It is a versatile and powerful machine that can handle any type of cargo, from ore to grains and fertilizers. It also reduces our fuel consumption and emissions, which is in line with our sustainability goals.”

Marcor Stevedoring B.V. handles approximately six million tons of loose, bagged, and containerized bulk cargo annually.

Electrek’s Take

Whenever you read about a jaw-droppingly huge electric vehicle moving thousands of tons of material and cargo a day, you can almost bet your house it’s got Liebherr stickers on it somewhere. Heck, this giant crane isn’t even the biggest EV they make!