Liebherr Offshore Cranes Accessing New Markets
Liebherr’s maritime manufacturing plant in Rostock has been awarded the contract to supply the heavy-lift crane for the Orion, a new wind farm installation and platform decommissioning vessel ordered by DEME from COSCO (QiDong) Offshore, a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry. The crane is rated at 3,000 metric tons at more than 50 meters, with a lifting height in excess of 170 meters and a designation of HLC (Heavy-Lift Crane) 295000. Delivery will be spring 2019.
Gordon Clark, Sales Director Liebherr Offshore Cranes, said, “We see a promising future in the heavy-lift sector, with growth in both the green energy sector and also offshore decommissioning,” concludes Clark.
The Liebherr offshore crane division made the strategic decision in 2016 to extend its range of heavy lift cranes to better position the company in the expanding decommissioning and offshore wind markets. Both of these are expected to produce high volumes of work in the offshore sector in the coming years.
“The extension to our heavy crane range allows us to compete in a sector with only a few players that have had little competition of late, and we look forward to winning some of that market share,” said Leopold Berthold, Managing Director Liebherr Maritime Cranes. “The Liebherr Board and the Liebherr Family were supporting this development during last year, so winning this order is proof we are heading in the right direction. It will be another important string to further promote diversification and provide access to new growth potential.”
The group’s maritime hub in Rostock is suited for the manufacturing of such huge offshore machines. Steel construction, assembly, installation/loadout and testing will be fully processed in the facility on the Baltic Sea.
“We have a long and successful relationship with Liebherr, and this new HLC crane is the best tool for our new development plans for heavy lift offshore applications such as installation of wind power generation plants. For this purpose cranes with very long outreaches, high lifting heights and huge lifting capacities are needed,” a DEME spokesperson said.
Apart from the main crane, the order also includes two of Liebherr’s RL-K 4200 knuckle boom cranes and an offshore crane simulator.
