IN Brief:
- Two LHM 550 mobile harbour cranes have entered service at Baltic Container Terminal Gdynia.
- The cranes provide outreach of up to 54 metres and are ready for later electric-drive conversion.
- The investment supports terminal capacity of around one million TEU and expanding intermodal links.
Liebherr has delivered two LHM 550 mobile harbour cranes to Baltic Container Terminal Gdynia as the Polish terminal expands vessel-handling capacity and prepares for further electrification.
The container-configured machines provide outreach of up to 54 metres and join two existing LHM 400 cranes. Delivery followed an EU-supported tender with a fixed June 2026 deadline, which Liebherr completed to the agreed programme.
Both cranes are equipped with the manufacturer’s Pactronic hybrid power system, which uses energy storage to support demanding lifting cycles and improve efficiency. They have also been prepared for later installation of electric drive if the terminal moves towards full shore-supplied operation.
Specially dimensioned support pads have been provided to match the berth structure and distribute operational loads. Their design connects crane procurement directly with quay engineering, rather than treating the machines as equipment that can be deployed independently of the supporting infrastructure.
An eight-hour endurance test was completed before handover to verify performance under continuous operating conditions. Extended warranty arrangements cover key components, structural elements, and paint systems exposed to the marine environment.
Baltic Container Terminal is part of International Container Terminal Services and has annual capacity of approximately one million TEU. It handled 558,331 TEU in 2025, with rail accounting for around 20% of throughput.
The terminal is the only facility in Gdynia able to accommodate full-length container trains serving southern Poland and Central Europe. Recent quay improvements have also enabled vessels up to 400 metres long to call at the site.
Wojciech Szymulewicz, Chief Executive Officer of Baltic Container Terminal Gdynia, said: “These new cranes give us added flexibility exactly where it matters most: at the interface between vessel, terminal and hinterland.”
Mobile harbour cranes can be repositioned along the quay and adapted to changing vessel and cargo patterns. That flexibility suits terminals where berth use varies or where fixed ship-to-shore crane capacity is still being developed.
The LHM 550 delivery also reflects a shift towards equipment specified around an electrification pathway rather than a single permanent power source. Electric-drive readiness allows conversion later without replacing the entire crane, although shore power will still require grid capacity, cabling, connection equipment, controls, and operating procedures.
Pactronic provides an intermediate efficiency measure by recovering and reusing energy within crane cycles. Container handling involves repeated acceleration, lifting, lowering, and braking, making both energy recovery and the management of power peaks relevant to operating cost and component wear.
Berth capacity remains equally important. Crane outrigger loads can be substantial, especially at maximum outreach, and existing quay structures were not always designed for the wheel loads and support arrangements of newer machines.
Structural verification, local strengthening, pad design, operating zones, and load restrictions therefore form part of deployment. A crane may satisfy its lifting specification while remaining unsuitable for a particular berth without corresponding civil engineering work.
Gdynia’s wider programme includes ship-to-shore cranes, rubber-tyred gantries, terminal tractors, digital systems, strengthened quay infrastructure, crane rails, and utilities. The mobile crane investment sits within that combined programme rather than replacing the need for yard and gate improvements.
Additional berth productivity can move congestion inland when yard, rail, road, or gate systems fail to expand at the same rate. The terminal’s rail share and ability to accept full-length trains provide an established route for carrying higher volumes towards southern Poland and Central Europe.
Maintenance support also influences equipment selection. Vessel calls operate within narrow windows, and prolonged crane failures can disrupt berth schedules, labour allocation, yard planning, and onward transport.
Commonality with the terminal’s existing Liebherr fleet should simplify parts, training, diagnostics, and operator familiarity. Extended structural and coating warranties provide defined protection, although routine inspection and preventive maintenance remain essential in a high-cycle marine environment.
Depending on the final crane and yard configuration, the terminal expects future berth-handling capacity to reach between 1.2 million and 1.6 million TEU. Reaching that level will require the cranes, quay, yard equipment, digital systems, labour, and hinterland connections to operate as an integrated system.
The two LHM 550 units add immediate flexibility while retaining an option for later electric operation. Their performance will be measured through vessel turnaround, equipment availability, energy consumption, and the terminal’s ability to move additional volume beyond the quay without creating new bottlenecks inland.
