20.01.2026

Port crane JV for Stafford

Stafford Port Cranes and Core Lifting Services are to establish a joint venture company to manufacture port cranes in the USA.

The joint venture has been registered as Port Cranes of America, and Stafford says that it will start building its first unit sometime this month, with the first crane being an RTG (Rubber Tyred Gantry) demonstration model. Core Lifting Services is related to offshore crane manufacturer Seatrax Marine Cranes, while to date Stafford has focused on tower cranes, following its acquisition of Portuguese crane manufacturer Soima in 2021. It announced its entry into the Ship To Shore crane market in August 2024.

We understand that the new cranes will be manufactured at the Seatrax yard/plant in Belle Chasse, on the south side of New Orleans, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River. The first crane is expected to be a 40 tonne unit on 16 wheels, with the aim to achieve a very high local content in order to comply with the BABA (Build America Buy American) programme. The company has also been designing a more sophisticated STS model at its design 'hub' in Milan, Italy. But that is expected to take longer.