The Friday night shutdown and subsequent repair job slightly delayed the turnaround of one vessel, Rio Bravo by about a day, and the crane should be fixed by tomorrow night or early Thursday.
The slowing in container turnaround was noticed by some Port Chalmers residents.
Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders confirmed the shutdown.
It was the crane on the farthest seaward side of the recently extended multipurpose wharf. The three tonne motor runs the ''spreader'' on wires, which picks up and places containers on and off vessels.
''I'm pleased they did shut it down. If it had continued running it could have been a big problem, with some inconvenience to shipping lines,'' he said.
He said shipping lines generally planned for 24-30-hour turnarounds, but beyond 30-hours was a ''big concern'' to shippers.
While the Shanghai-made motor was being monitored by software at the time, Mr Winders said vigilant staff were concerned with ''loud noises and vibration'', and shut it down.
''If the motor had blown apart, it would have been a significant cost, with a replacement having to come from Shanghai,'' Mr Winders said.
He estimated the motor replacement cost around $150,000.
He said specialist technicians were not required and Port Otago staff were working with two Dunedin engineering firms to replace the bearings.
On the question of whether Port Otago needed a third crane, Mr Winders said two were ''apt'' at present, unless there was more growth in container handling.
He said two cranes, with ''preventive maintenance'' programmes in place were preferable to ordering a third crane, which could cost $12million to $14million.
''Two cranes can do the [required] turnaround,'' Mr Winders said.
Last financial year, container numbers across Port Chalmers wharves rose 10% to 205,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).
In July 2017, Port Otago's then-third crane, a 38-year old 550-tonne Vickers Paceco was dismantled by a mobile 400-tonne crane, costing less than $500,000.
Two ZPMC Chinese-made cranes, constructed on an island off the coast of Shanghai, remain at Port Chalmers. The first $11million crane was delivered by a heavy-lift ship in February 2006 and the second, a $10million, 1200-tonne, crane arrived in June 2007.
In late 2009, Port Otago scrapped its oldest crane at the time, also a Vickers, at 32 years old, which fell out of use with delivery of the two ZPMC cranes.
