Four New Cranes Strengthen Italy’s Push for Cleaner, More Efficient Operations
In a year when Europe’s ports are under pressure to decarbonize, Liebherr-Rostock GmbH is quietly reshaping Italy’s waterfront. Four new mobile harbour cranes — three of them fully electric — are heading to Bari, Naples, and Venice, each tailored to a very different kind of work but sharing one common goal: lower emissions and higher efficiency.
From Grain to Heavy Steel: Different Ports, One Technology
At IPM Bari, two LHM 550 cranes are joining the terminal’s lineup. Each can lift up to 154 tonnes and reach 54 metres — plenty of muscle for unloading high-volume grain shipments that feed Italy’s milling and pasta production. “Efficiency in discharge means efficiency in the food chain,” one operator in Bari said recently, noting that faster turnarounds directly support local producers like Divella Pasta.
Up the coast in Naples, La Nuova Meccanica Navale is upgrading its ship repair operations with a new LHM 420. The company is retiring an older LHM 1300, replacing it with a crane better suited to tight quay spaces and delicate lifting tasks — like removing hatch covers or shifting oversized ship components. The 124-tonne unit’s advanced operator cabin, designed to cut fatigue and improve visibility, has been described by yard engineers as “a welcome step forward in day-to-day working comfort.”
Further north at Interporto Rivers Venezia, an electric LHM 420 is set to reinforce bulk and scrap handling in Porto Marghera. This crane joins a fleet already heavy with Liebherr machines — including an LHM 250, two LHM 320s, and an LHM 550 — underscoring the operator’s strategy to modernize through consistency.
Power from the Plug, Not the Tank
All three electric cranes can operate locally emission-free when connected to shore power — a technology that’s becoming a defining feature of modern terminals. The benefit is clear: less noise, fewer fumes, and lower running costs. As Andreas Ritschel, General Manager Sales Mobile Harbour Cranes, put it, “By pairing electric drive options with proven reliability, we are delivering performance that meets operational targets and reduces local emissions where shore power is in place.”
Liebherr’s electric systems are also backward-compatible: existing diesel cranes can be retrofitted with electric drives using factory kits, allowing operators to transition without replacing entire units.
Partnership and Performance
Behind these deliveries is Mac Port, Liebherr’s Italian sales and service partner since 2009. The company maintains a nationwide network for spare parts and training — a crucial layer of support in a country where port machinery often runs 24/7. Mac Port’s field service teams are credited with keeping uptime high and response times short, a quiet but critical part of the brand’s longevity in Italy.
Each crane left Rostock aboard the MV Happy Diamond — a fitting name, perhaps, for machines designed to make heavy work look easy. Whether unloading grain in Bari, hoisting engines in Naples, or handling scrap in Venice, these cranes are more than hardware; they’re a glimpse into how ports might look — and sound — when the future runs on electricity instead of diesel.
