Liebherr led global new MHC orders in 2025

Above: Marking a milestone in maritime engineering, the 2,000th Liebherr mobile harbour crane, an LHM 600 for Marcegaglia, stands out with its bespoke slewing‑platform design, symbolising five decades of innovation rooted in Rostock and realised at Ravenna.

 

Customers seek equipment that protects throughput and during operating hours. Liebherr’s portfolio pairs class‑leading lift with e‑drive configurations and retrofit paths, aligning with lifecycle planning and delivering reliable performance under demanding, day‑to‑day conditions.

 

In 2025, Liebherr mobile harbour cranes closed the year with a commanding majority of global new orders. This resulted in a record market share. The development underscores a consistent preference among terminal operators for proven mobile harbour crane options. Heavy‑lift mobile harbour cranes remained central as ports expanded cargo profiles without extending fixed infrastructure. Electric drive configurations continued to gain traction, offering measurable local emission reductions while maintaining full performance. Portal slewing cranes further supported bulk operations where berth efficiency and steady cycle times were critical. Together, these elements shaped a robust order position extending into 2026 planning.

 

 

Across Italy’s diverse port landscape, electrically driven LHM 550 and LHM 420 mobile harbour cranes enhance grain discharge, ship repair and bulk operations, bringing cleaner cycles, efficient handling and modernised capacity to key terminals. 

 

Andreas Ritschel, General Manager Sales Mobile Harbour Cranes at Liebherr‑Rostock GmbH, noted: ‘In 2025, we reinforced our role as a partner for quality and reliability by focusing on solutions that perform consistently under real terminal conditions. As leading manufacturer of heavy‑duty mobile harbour cranes, we design our cranes to deliver strength, precision and longevity, whether through advanced electric drive concepts, highly responsive control systems or structurally robust designs. Models such as the LHM 800 combine class leading lifting power with designs proven over years of operation and customer feedback, delivering high availability and long service life under demanding duty cycles. So terminals gain measurable efficiency without trading off reliability or operating hours.’

 

Throughout 2025, customer demand clearly favoured solutions that paired high lifting capacity with credible energy strategies. Electric drive specifications increasingly formed part of long‑term fleet planning, supported by retrofit options and compatibility with diverse grid conditions. At the same time, heavy‑lift capability remained non‑negotiable for terminals handling steel, project cargo and oversized units alongside established flows.

 

 

At Phu My Port, the rail‑mounted LPS 550 demonstrates its high‑throughput capability, achieving up to 1,250 tonnes per hour while supporting Vietnam’s growing agribulk trade with consistent, round‑the‑clock performance.