“There are no American producers of STS cranes. There haven't been since at least the 1980s.”
Outside China, just three companies make ship-to-shore (STS) cranes available for international purchase: Mitsui E&S of Japan, and Konecranes and Liebherr of Europe, none of which have production capacity to meet the demand.
Proposed tariffs: 100% on STS cranes and 20% to 100% on such cargo-handling equipment as containers, chassis and chassis parts.
Port Houston has eight STS cranes under contract with China, with a spring 2026 projected delivery date. These cranes were ordered in July of 2024, months before the new tariffs were announced.
The proposed 100% tariff would come on top of an existing 25% tariff introduced in 2024. And if Trump's 145% tariffs on Chinese goods were to return after the current 90-day pause, then "a 270% tariff on those eight cranes equals $302.4 million … This would be devastating to our ability to invest in our terminals, to meet the future cargo needs, and to the jobs in our region and nation."
asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Trum
