In total, more than 80 units and used units were sold to customers worldwide. Liebherr mobile harbour cranes were ordered from 31 different countries with all continents being represented, seeing strong growth in the Middle East and West Africa regions and stable core markets in Europe and North and South America.
As in previous years, the LHM 550 is the most popular crane, followed by the LHM 420. A strong increase in sales of the LHM 800 was recorded, which more than tripled compared to the previous year.
"The Liebherr mobile harbour crane and its clear technical advantages in the MHC market have once again convinced customers all over the world. I am very proud of our sales team here in Rostock and in more than 40 sales and service companies worldwide. Only through our cooperative and partnership-based collaboration can we meet the needs of our customers," said Andreas Müller, sales director, Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes.
Another record it saw was in the area of portal cranes. More than 20 new units were Liebherr Portal Slewing Cranes (LPS). Liebherr was able to close the year with a major portal crane project at the end of 2021. Steel manufacturer in Italy, Acciaierie d'Italia, ordered four LPS 800 portal cranes.
The four machines are 100 % electrically powered and allow for emission-free bulk handling. They are also equipped with Liebherr's Pactronic hybrid system, which supplies the crane with additional power when required.
"Liebherr has stood for sustainability in drives for decades. We see that our sophisticated electric motors are revolutionising port handling. Together with our customers, we will continue on the path to sustainable ports. Our innovative cranes and the development of CO2-neutral drive technology is inspiring the industry," added Andreas Ritschel, deputy sales manager, Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes.
2021 was also the year of the all-electric LPS 420 E portal crane. There is a clear trend within the maritime crane industry towards more electric main drives visible. In addition, the advanced LPS 420 E, which is powered exclusively by electric motors, had a record year. Although sales have been consistently stable since its launch, a total of six portal cranes were sold in 2021 – one of them to Germany.
Euroports Germany, based in Rostock, will commission the first all-electric LPS 420 E in the European market next year. "We want to further strengthen the handling performance at our bulk terminal. In the coming year, we are not only investing in a new crane to be even more efficient, but we also want to make our contribution to sustainability," said Karsten Lentz MD, Euroports Germany Group.
Africa has been experiencing an economic upswing for several years now, accompanied by extensive investments in infrastructure. The continent is expected to have enormous economic potential in the future. This development has been reflected in African ports for years and is also visible in 2021, especially for container handling LHMs.
Liebherr has delivered two LHM 800s in the high-rise variant to the Sogester Container Terminal in Angola. Shortly before the end of the year, two more LHM 800s were shipped to Togo. The customer TIL Terminals will use the two giants for container handling in the port of Lomé.
In addition to the various electric solutions, Liebherr also offers the possibility of operating diesel- powered equipment in a more environmentally friendly way. In the first half of the year, the first LHM 420 powered by HVO diesel was delivered to the Swedish port city of Södertälje.
HVO Renewable Diesel is a fossil-free premium diesel product made from 100 % renewable raw materials that emits no additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
A further step towards sustainability was achieved in September of 2021 when Liebherr-MCCtec was awarded the EcoVadis Gold Medal. EcoVadis is the world's most renowned provider of sustainability ratings with over 85,000 companies assessed. The gold medal places Liebherr-MCCtec among the top 5% of all rated companies and the top 3% of manufacturing companies.
