Port Otago general manager of operations manager Kevin Kearney said the older, outdated Kalmar models had no resale value.
One straddle crane was gas-axed apart last week, and "No 18" was next in line for the chop.
"Even dismantling them and transporting isn’t feasible" because of the cost.
The remaining fleet of Kalmars can carry both 20-foot equivalent (TEUs) and the longer 40-foot version, stacking them either two or three high. Mr Kearney said it would be at least a year before a new order for straddles was considered. In the past they have cost more than $1.5 million apiece, and the port company could be looking at buying two to four of them.
He said the new cranes would be a "new-generation hybrid", which would run using small truck-size diesel engines and batteries.
They would be built to European emissions standards and be much quieter and low on fuel consumption, he said.
