In the afternoon on March 7, 2021, a huge deck cargo ship left the Liebherr site at the port of Rostock in Germany with two remarkable, giant crane components ready for installation. The white painted slewing platform, as well as the characteristic A-frame of the upcoming Heavy Lift Crane HLC 150000, are now on their way to being assembled on OHT’s next-generation offshore wind foundation vessel Alfa Lift.
The two main crane components left Rostock onboard the deck cargo ship BigLift Barentsz. The large components were lifted in tandem using two strong Liebherr crawler cranes. Due to the lifts taking place directly at the quay, the transportation vessel was able to start its journey by taking the shortest route to the Baltic Sea.
Following their arrival in China, the slewing platform and the A-frame will be the first crane sections to be assembled on the Ulstein designed Alfa Lift, at the shipyard of China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) in the province Jiangsu. Once the installation of the two components is finalised, the boom will be delivered just-in-time to complete the HLC 150000.
“The crane can only be assembled and installed once the vessel has reached a specific phase in its construction. Therefore, the manufacturing timelines are finely balanced between Liebherr, OHT, and CHMI,” said Gregor Levold, Sales Director of Ship and Offshore Cranes at Liebherr Rostock. “Another important element of the partnership with OHT is our support and guidance for the initial setup of the crane onboard Alfa Lift. Due to the extensive experience of our experts, a team of Liebherr specialists will travel to China and support with supervision for the installation, commissioning, and testing process (ICT) of the HLC 150000 at the shipyard”.
Bjarne Birkeland, Head of Vessel Management for OHT, said: “We have recently reached a significant milestone in the construction of Alfa Lift with the launch of the vessel, and we are grateful to see the high quality Liebherr 3000 tonne Heavy Lift Crane components being shipped from their facilities ready for the next big milestone. We look forward to seeing the crane installed on the vessel and thank the experts at Liebherr for their excellent cooperation and diligence”.
Optimized for future wind park installations
With a maximum lifting capacity of 3,000 tonnes at 30 metres and 1,000 tonnes at 76 metres outreach, the HLC 150000 is ready for a wide range of applications. In general, the Liebherr HLC series design is characterized by a small footprint. The slew bearing diameter of the HLC 150000 is just 14 metres, consequently, the crane requires little space on deck and offers more storage space. Due to the special slip ring configuration, the HLC has a 360-degree unlimited slewing range.
In addition, the Liebherr HLC’s foldable A-frame reduces the height of the crane as needed. “Unlike many other crane vessels of this size, the Alfa Lift will be able to navigate waters crossed by bridges. This feature reduces transit-time, for instance when the vessel enters the Baltic Sea crossing the Storebaltsbroen in Denmark,” said Gregor Levold. “The foldable A-frame provides more flexibility, which in turn leads to both operational and cost-efficiency, increasing the number of charter days and vessel availability”.
In 2022, the HLC 150000 onboard Alfa Lift will start operating in the North Sea. The first project is the construction of the wind farm “Dogger Bank A”, about 130 kilometres off the north-east coast of England.
Source: OHT