Katoen Natie invests in four all-electric Konecranes Gottwald MHCs

(Posted on 15/02/25)

Belgian logistics giant Katoen Natie has ordered four all-electric Konecranes Gottwald Mobile Harbor Cranes for its Port of Antwerp operations. The order, which includes a 10-year service level agreement, was booked in Q1 2025, with delivery scheduled for Q1 2026.

For more than 170 years, Katoen Natie has played a key role in global trade. Sustainability is the heart of their operations, guiding every aspect of their logistic processes. To modernize their port operations, the company is leading by example by investing in Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour crane technology for several terminals at the Port of Antwerp.

The order is comprised of:

Two ESP.9 Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour cranes with a maximum lifting capacity of 200 tonnes each. The cranes are equipped with a Tandem-lift Assistant, enabling a combined maximum lifting capacity of 400 tonnes.
Two ESP.8 Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour cranes with a maximum lifting capacity of 150 tonnes each.

Each crane features a Konecranes all-electric drive system. Seamlessly integrating an external power supply with rechargeable batteries, the system optimizes energy efficiency while producing zero local tailpipe emissions. With this investment, Katoen Natie joins a growing number of global port operators adopting Konecranes' all-electric drive technology.

“Katoen Natie has chosen Konecranes Gottwald mobile harbour cranes after a thorough evaluation of the existing solutions in the market. Konecranes' all-electric drive concept is the best choice for achieving our goals in sustainable port operations while also offering a new level of performance,” says Tom Brouwers, Energy Manager at Katoen Natie.

To ensure high availability and minimal downtime, all four cranes come equipped with Konecranes TRUCONNECT for remote condition monitoring. The order also includes a holistic 10-year service level agreement, with predictive servicing based on a condition-based monitoring system provided by Konecranes Service Frontline in Belgium. Special spare parts packages ensure fast and efficient maintenance.

“This was a long-term project where we worked closely with Katoen Natie to share our experience from a decade of field operations with all-electric drives. Through detailed technical discussions we demonstrated the unparallelled combination of performance, reliability and sustainability provided by this Konecranes technology,” said Alexandros Stogianidis, Regional Sales Manager at Konecranes.

This contract is part of?Ecolifting, Konecranes’ vision to increase its handprint – meaning the beneficial environmental impact that can be achieved with our product and service portfolio – while reducing customers’ carbon footprints. From eco-optimizing diesel drives, to hybridization and fully-electrified fleets, we will continue to do more with less.

A strong focus on customers and commitment to business growth and continuous improvement make Konecranes a material handling industry leader. This is underpinned by investments in digitalization and technology, plus our work to make material flows more efficient with solutions that decarbonize the economy and advance circularity and safety.