Liebherr’s maritime manufacturing plant in Rostock, Germany has won a deal to supply a heavy-lift crane for the Orion, a wind farm installation and platform decommissioning vessel currently in development.
The crane was ordered by DEME from COSCO (QiDong) Offshore, a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry.
The crane will have a lifting capacity of 3,000t at more than 50 metres, and a maximum lifting height in excess of 170m meters. It is to be designated HLC (Heavy-Lift Crane) 295000.
Delivery of the crane is scheduled for 2019.
Liebherr Offshore Cranes sales director Gordon Clarke said: "It is a great honour to work with both DEME and COSCO on such a revolutionary project, and fits well into our company strategy.
"We see a promising future in the heavy-lift sector, with growth in both the green energy sector and also offshore decommissioning."
The Liebherr offshore crane division made the strategic decision in 2016 to extend its range of heavy lift cranes, in order 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.
Liebherr Maritime Cranes managing director Leopold Berthold added: "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.
"The Liebherr Board and the Liebherr Family were supporting this development 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 perfectly 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.
A DEME spokesperson is quoted as saying: "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."
Apart from the main crane, the order also includes two of Liebherr’s RL-K 4200 knuckle boom cranes and an offshore crane simulator.
A COSCO spokesperson said: "We have completed many offshore and ship projects with Liebherr in the past, so it will be great to work with them on this new venture."