Four of the heavy lift cranes are type CBB 4700 with a lifting capacity of 450 tonnes and the remaining two are type CBB 3450 with a lifting capacity of 120 tonnes. The positive trend in the heavy lift crane segment continues and Liebherr has confirmed its leading position with this contract, having won all the tendered contracts in recent times.
The six heavy lift cranes are being built by Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH and will be delivered to the customer in 2014. They will be installed on two ships in the well-known Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, China and in the future will handle heavy and general cargo all over the world.
In comparison with previous units of the same ship type, the crane capacities have been increased from 400 to 450 tonnes, thus improving the ships’ utilization.
The heavy lift cranes of the proven CBB series excel in their fast and precise Litronic® control system, which is also used in offshore and mobile harbour cranes. Moreover, the CBB cranes have a comparatively low total weight and a low centre of gravity. This advantageous design enhances the ships’ stability.
Thanks to the worldwide service network and the high degree of vertical integration Liebherr serves its customers as a competent partner through the entire life cycle of the crane.
Business relations between Liebherr and Rickmers date back to the 70ies. In 1985 a special board crane emerged from the cooperation between the two owner-managed family businesses. For the first time the crane was positioned at the side of a container vessel rather than on the vessel’s centreline. Due to this new positioning and the low width of the cranes valuable additional loading space on board the vessels was gained.
Today, Liebherr handles a large number of its heavy lift sea transportations with the aid of “Rickmers-Linie”, a regular world-wide service for project cargo.
The cooperation between the two companies will perhaps be further consolidated in the future with the modernization of Rickmers’ fleet through the planned construction of several new vessels.
Focus on heavy lift crane segment
This contract emphasizes Liebherr’s increased focussing on the maritime heavy lift crane segment, as announced by the company during the SMM in Hamburg, the biggest trade fair of the shipbuilding industry. The range of heavy lift ship cranes will be extended by one type per year. In future, cranes with lifting capacities of up to 1,000 tonnes will be included in the ship crane portfolio.