Antwerp terminal operator swaps diesel for grid power on harbour cranes

Katoen Natie has two electric mobile harbour cranes working at Antwerp, with four more planned and a diesel saving it expects to reach 500,000 litres a year.

Katoen Natie has commissioned two all-electric mobile harbour cranes at the Port of Antwerp, with the commissioning announced in October 2026. Four more electric cranes are due to follow across three deep-sea multipurpose terminals. The finished fleet of six will be four 200-tonne cranes and two 150-tonne cranes, and a pair working together can lift up to 400 tonnes.

The design draws grid electricity for the heavy lifting and uses rechargeable batteries only to move between operating positions. Earlier mobile harbour cranes carried an onboard diesel generator for mobility, which spared operators from building electrical connections along the whole quay. Going electric removes diesel exhaust at the machine and lowers local noise. Katoen Natie expects the six cranes to displace up to 500,000 litres of diesel a year once all are running.

For energy, the point is where the work happens. Port cargo handling is a steady, concentrated diesel load, and moving it onto the grid shifts that demand to electricity that can get cleaner and cheaper over time. These cranes also handle steel, transformers, wind components, scrap, project cargo, bulk and containers. The author, Michael Barnard, argues that this flexibility carries less cargo-forecast risk than facilities built for one fossil or alternative-fuel cargo, as fossil cargoes decline.

Caveats are real. Only two cranes are in service, and the 500,000-litre figure is Katoen Natie's expectation, not a measured result. The author also says not every crane or grid connection pays off: terminals need durable activity, suitable electrical infrastructure and a sound operating case. The piece is opinion and analysis tied to the author's TFIE Strategy Briefing. Watch for the remaining four cranes and for real diesel-use data.

Source: CleanTechnica