Port Nelson has commissioned New Zealand’s first electric dual-drive mobile harbor crane. The NZ$17m (US$10m) project was supported by NZ$875,000 (US$530,000) from the government’s Low Emission Transport Fund, administered by EECA.
Electrification strategy
The project is part of a broader electrification strategy, which includes retrofitting an existing diesel crane. The crane can switch between electric and diesel modes but is expected to operate on electric power up to 85% of the time, reducing carbon emissions. Cranes currently account for around 22% of the port’s Scope 1 emissions.
The crane is just one of several strategic investments Port Nelson has made in the last 18 months. Alongside the electrification program, the port opened Honomai, Marlborough’s first Inland Port; introduced a new pilot vessel; and launched a significant slipway redevelopment project, further enhancing safety, operational resilience and local economic benefit.
Matt McDonald, CEO of Port Nelson, said, “The project demonstrates our commitment to innovation and leading by example in the transition to low-emission technologies. This crane is an investment in the future of our people, infrastructure and region, reflecting Port Nelson’s ambition to build a more resilient port for generations to come. This project also delivered local economic benefits, with around NZ$2m (US$1.2m) invested in the Nelson region through labor, materials and infrastructure upgrades.” 
Opening ceremony
The event was attended by Nelson Mayor Nick Smith, Nelson MP Rachel Boyack, EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) representative Ben Pitt and iwi representatives, alongside port stakeholders and staff. Mayor Nick Smith officially powered on the new Liebherr LHM600E crane, triggering its first official lift.
Smith stated, “Our export-based economy is very dependent on having an efficient port. Nelson leads in sustainability – we have the first full electric bus service, we have one of the highest uptakes of electric cars, including my own, which was New Zealand’s first. It’s good that we are now leading with our port commissioning the first mobile electric crane and converting one of its older diesel cranes to electric.”
In related news, the Port of Rotterdam and Van Oord recently piloted an electrified crane vessel, Christiaan P, in the seaport of Dordrecht in the Netherlands. Read the full story here