Port of Oakland Commissions Electric Cranes to Handle Larger Boxships

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The Port of Oakland has commissioned TraPac’s new Liebherr ship to shore cranes, adding fully electric lifting capacity designed to handle the largest container vessels currently in service.

The cranes stand more than 440 feet tall, roughly the height of a 40 story building. Their arrival gives TraPac Oakland more reach and lifting capability at the terminal, supporting larger ship calls and higher container volumes through the California gateway.

For ports, crane height and outreach matter in a practical way. If a vessel is wider and stacked higher, the terminal needs equipment that can reach across the ship safely and efficiently. Without that reach, capacity on paper does not always translate into capacity at the berth.

The new Liebherr cranes are intended to close that gap for Oakland. They expand the port’s ability to work bigger ships while keeping cargo moving for importers, exporters and inland supply chains across Northern California.

The cranes are fully electric, which also places the investment within the port’s broader environmental direction. Electric cargo handling equipment can reduce direct emissions at the terminal, an important issue for nearby communities and port users facing tighter sustainability expectations.

For shippers, the benefit is not only environmental. More capable cranes can support vessel productivity, reduce berth pressure and help terminals absorb peaks in container flow.

Port Commissioners Stephanie Dominguez Walton and Derrick H. Muhammad attended the official commissioning ceremony, which included a ribbon cutting as the cranes joined active operations.

Kristi McKenney, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland, and Christopher Lambert, Head of Operations at TraPac Oakland, also highlighted the investment as a step forward for the terminal’s operating capability.

For California exporters and importers, the question is simple: can the port handle bigger ships without slowing the cargo chain? Oakland’s answer is now standing at the berth, in steel, cables and electric power.