Offshore staff
SCHIEDAM, the Netherlands — Huisman has developed a 700-mt traveling quayside crane for the load-out of offshore wind turbine components.
It follows rising demand for large, 2,600-mt and 4,000-mt skyhook cranes for the load-out of foundation pieces and installation of floating turbines.
With the new traveling quayside crane, the load-out process can be quicker than regular methods involving crawler cranes, or a tandem-lifting by two cranes with a capacity about 200-300 mt, Huisman said.
The new crane’s fully electric design allows for a direct connection to the quayside power grid, with regenerative energy directed back into the utility grid, limiting the crane’s net energy consumption.
It is designed to travel on a track 16 m wide, although this can be adapted to local requirements, and can lift 700 mt at a radius of 25 m. The crane can therefore deliver numerous turbine components to any place in the hold of most cargo vessels currently used for turbine transportation.
Its ability to travel at a relatively brisk speed with load in the hook allows for a more flexible delivery schedule for components to the load-out quayside, the company added, resulting in a quicker turnaround for the transportation vessel.
Cees van Veluw, Huisman's product manager of cranes, said, “We see a need in the offshore wind logistics market for increased efficiency in smaller ports in newly developed offshore wind areas…With this new [crane], offshore wind ports can be ready for a quick load-out of turbine components in a sustainable manner."
07.25.2022
