Customers in Latin America have already ordered four LHMs to boost their port operation capabilities. Once more the trend towards larger cranes in Latin America can be seen as all of the machines on order are the largest of the LHM crane range, the LHM 600 which is the largest mobile harbour crane available on the market. With a maximum outreach of 58 metres, the LHM 600 is capable of servicing ships up to 19 container rows.
Lázaro Cárdenas Multipurpose Terminal S.A. de C.V. has ordered two LHM 600s. The Hutchison Port Holdings affiliate is located on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Each crane is equipped with a 104t winch and will mainly be used in handling containers and bulk cargo.
In the course of 2013, another LHM 600 will start operation in Mexico. Terminal Internacionale de Manzanillo S.A. de C.V. (TIMSA) opted for Liebherr’s strongest mobile harbour crane. TIMSA is a multipurpose terminal for bulk cargo and container handling. The terminal is located on the west coast of Mexico, close to various metropolitan areas. The main task of the new crane is container handling.
The 2013 year looks to be the most successful year in history regarding LHM deliveries to Mexico thanks in part to the order of these three LHM 600 cranes.
Montecon S.A. started operation at the Port of Montevideo in 2000. Since then, their Liebherr mobile harbour crane fleet has steadily grown. In 2013, Montecon S.A. is going to receive a mighty LHM 600, which is their second within two years. The new machine represents Montecon’s sixth Liebherr Mobile Harbour Crane.
All customers opted for the LHM with tower extension in order to benefit from a higher fulcrum point. Additionally, the tower extension aids the crane driver providing better sight into the ship.
Liebherr’s unique fuel saving tool ECO Control is another feature which all new LHM 600s for Latin America have in common. With ECO Control activated, the Litronic® crane control system automatically calculates the required revolutions per minute (rpm) of the diesel engine depending on needed speeds and loads. This leads to a notable reduction of diesel without any impact on operational output. Variable speed control results in fuel savings of up to 25%. Generally speaking, without ECO control a mobile harbour crane engine would run at a constant high rpm, which results in additional fuel consumption. For example, a diesel engine driven LHM working 2.000 hours per year with ECO Control would reduce CO2 production by 79 tonnes compared to a crane running without ECO Control. Moreover, the low rpm has a direct impact on reduction of noise exposure which is a positive side effect of ECO Control.