Electric on the march

The future is electric for container cranes’ cables and power supply generally, both in terms of newbuilds and retrofits

The container crane cable, festoon, and power supply market generally is moving quickly towards electrification, while smart cables retrofitting and modernising are key trends. The below company case studies, with their emphasis on battery power, highlight the major focus on electrification in this market. As Jaroslaw Warzecha, Director of the Ports Business Unit at VAHLE says, “Rising diesel prices and volatile energy costs are increasing the economic pressure on port operators. At the same time, regulatory requirements are intensifying the need for low-emission terminal processes. Electrification is thus increasingly becoming not just a question of efficiency, but a key prerequisite for sustainable terminal structures.” The retrofitting market for crane power systems is buoyant in terms of retrofits, both in terms of heavy-duty steel festoons, which remain popular for retrofitting older STS cranes, and modular enclosed energy chains. The industry is also increasingly adopting sensors and IoT integration inside cables to track wear and tear, predict failures, and minimise unplanned downtime.

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