By Erik Soderberg, Derrick Lind, Steven Martinez, and Leah Olson, Liftech Consultants Inc.
Due to increasing and uncertain costs, repurposing used ship-to-shore container cranes (STS cranes) has become more appealing. This article presents an overview of key considerations and steps for purchasing and repurposing used STS cranes.
Key considerations with repurposing used STS cranes
See below for key considerations when purchasing and repurposing used cranes.
Timing — One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. It’s best to look for owners who need to dispose of existing cranes to make space for incoming cranes, since demolition costs are significant, around one million dollars (USD, 2025). The buyer may also be able to acquire an array of spare parts at little or no cost that are salvaged from other cranes of the same design being demolished at the site. Timing is critical as the need to remove existing cranes is often urgent.
Crane geometry — Find a used crane with a geometry similar to that desired to limit structural modifications. Smaller ports that do not require the largest modern cranes will have more options. Although significant modifications are practical, many may not be economically viable.
Common and practical modifications include adjusting the equalizers to accommodate different rail elevations, modifying the wheel span by adjusting the location of the landside legs (see Figure 1), increasing the lift height with a crane raise (see Figure 2), and extending the boom by adding new structure.
Loads on wharf — The crane’s loads on the wharf, including wheel and tie-down loads, should be confirmed as acceptable. If the loads exceed rated capacities, it may be practical for an engineer to justify additional wharf girder capacity, which is often possible without expensive girder modifications. If strengthening is required, it is typically very costly. Existing rail systems are usually reasonable but should also be confirmed.
Crane-wharf interface — The crane-wharf interface items should be reviewed and modified, as necessary. Modifying crane tie-downs and stowage brackets is typically straightforward and practical. Installing or strengthening wharf tie-down locations may require new tie-down hardware, additional tension piles, and girder strengthening. Replacing crane stops with stronger stops is usually practical and not significant cost.
Crane age — Newer cranes are preferred. This increases the probability that electrical and control systems will not require upgrade immediately or soon, the structure is sound without significant fatigue damage, the paint system is sound, and the machinery has more remaining life.
Electrical and controls — The power interface between the cranes and terminal should be reviewed for voltage and frequency compatibility. Mismatches in voltage, frequency, or both will require significant design modifications and costs. Similarly, a change in power interface such as from busbar to cable reel or diesel generator will require significant modifications.
The age and condition of the main drive and auxiliary electrical systems are important for reliability and serviceability. A used crane will typically have electrical equipment that is older than 10 years and nearing the end of its supportable life for many vendors. Compatibility with the terminal’s preferred equipment supply chains, PLC/CMS platforms, and terminal operating system (TOS) should be evaluated.
Strengthening — Crane frame strengthening is commonly required when a crane is moved to a location with more severe design storm winds, such as from the US West Coast to locations that experience hurricanes/typhoons. Strengthening is typically practical and requires adding doubler plates at local areas of the crane.
Seismic strengthening, where older cranes designed to non-modern criteria must meet more stringent modern criteria, is less common. If the crane has been designed for severe wind loads, the required strengthening will be more limited. Strengthening typically is focused on the lower part of the crane, e.g., portal frame, sill beams, gantry equalizers. If the crane is being raised, seismic strengthening can be incorporated into the raise design.
Transport — Transportation costs for relocating crane(s) are often millions of dollars. Significant cost savings can result from procuring nearby used cranes, providing shipping schedule flexibility, and combining the used crane transport as an extra stop with a shipper delivering other equipment nearby.
Condition — Cranes are typically well-maintained; however, the condition of the crane structure, mechanical, electrical, and coating systems should be evaluated. Significant repairs or replacement can be costly.
Key steps to finding, evaluating, and modifying used cranes
Finding — To find available used cranes, contact crane consultants and contractors in the industry as they often know of available cranes and/or who to ask. Other options include directly contacting ports and crane owners, particularly those with large fleets, and searching the internet.
Evaluating — Although there are many issues to consider, experts can help. Find an experienced consultant to help with the following steps:
- Gather available crane options and evaluate at a “high-level” to identify promising options.
- Perform a cursory review of the promising options to assess key issues, including rough cost estimates. This should include discussions with the crane owners to determine pertinent aspects of a potential agreement, e.g., cost, schedule requirements, if space is available to perform crane modifications at their site, spare parts, warranty.
- Once preferred options are identified, perform a more detailed evaluation, including condition assessment and feasibility study of required modifications and concepts, and a more refined cost estimate. At this level of evaluation, cost estimates are accurate enough to compare with the cost of a new crane to determine if it is worthwhile proceeding. The cost estimate should include a contingency for unknowns and inaccuracies.
Modifying — After deciding to procur, these are common steps:
- Establish an agreement with the seller.
- Determine and design the required modifications.
- Develop contract documents for the modification work.
- Bid the work and select a contractor.
- Transport and delivery.
- Perform the modifications including periodic review by an engineer and inspector(s).
- Commissioning.
- Final review and acceptance.
The time, effort, and cost for the above work varies significantly. Some projects have minimal modifications and cranes slated for demolition are relocated to new locations and began operating within a year at a fraction of the cost of new cranes, while other projects are more involved and with more modest savings.
Summary
Due to increasing and uncertain costs, repurposing used STS cranes has become more appealing. There are many issues to consider when evaluating whether procuring and modifying a used crane is worthwhile. This article presented an overview of key considerations and steps involved in finding, evaluating, and modifying a used crane.
