Danish Port of Esbjerg has ordered a second Liebherr LHM 800 crane capable of lifting next-generation offshore wind turbines.
The Port of Esbjerg received the first LHM 800 crane in 2019, while the second one is expected to be delivered in 2023.
The LHM 800 crane, which has a lifting capacity of 308 tonnes, is the largest and most powerful mobile harbour crane in the Liebherr LHM portfolio, according to the port.
With the acquisition of the second crane, the port will be able to carry out tandem lifts of up to 616 tonnes, the port said.
The crane will feature a computerised assistance system, called Sycratronic, for operating two cranes with one crane operator. The system will not only enable tandem lifts of turbines over 600 tonnes, but it will also enable the crane to handle rotor blades, which, in the offshore wind sector, could be over 90 metres long, the port said.
“Our competency lies in breakbulk and in having the capacity for tandem lifts above 600 tons, which is necessary not only in the on- and offshore wind market but also in supporting production in the hinterland”, said Dennis Jul Pedersen , CEO of Port Esbjerg.
Liebherr will also deliver an LHM 600 crane to the port before the end of the year.
A total of seven Liebherr mobile harbour cranes have now been bought by the port which says it will become the first port in the western part of the world to have two LHM 800 cranes in its fleet.
The Port of Esbjerg has supported numerous offshore wind projects and says that 4/5 of the offshore wind capacity installed in Europe was shipped out from the Port of Esbjerg.
The port also added that it handles more than 500,000 tonnes of major wind turbine components each year.