On March 7, 2021, the deck cargo ship BigLift Barentsz left the Liebherr factory in the Port of Rostock with two extraordinary giant crane components, ready for installation. The white-painted slewing platform and the characteristic A-frame of the upcoming heavy lifting crane HLC 150000 are now being assembled on the Alfa Lift, OHT's next-generation offshore wind power base vessel. With its unique combination of functions, the Liebherr HLC series will be a key element for the installation of current and future wind farms around the world.
After arriving in China, the slewing platform and the A-frame will be the first crane parts to be assembled on the Alfa Lift, an offshore installation vessel designed by Ulstein. The tandem lifting of two large components was achieved at the Liebherr plant in Rostock using two powerful representatives of its kind: the LR 11350 crawler crane and the TCC 78000, which once again proved the importance of this powerful rail-mounted heavy-duty gantry crane. Since the lift is carried out directly at the pier, the transport ship can take the shortest route to the Baltic Sea. The slewing platform and A-frame will be assembled on the Alfa Lift of the Jiangsu China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) shipyard near Shanghai. When the installation of the two components is completed, the boom will be delivered in time to complete the HLC 150000.
“The crane can only be assembled and installed after the ship has reached a certain stage of construction. Therefore, the manufacturing schedule between Liebherr, OHT and CHMI is well balanced,” said Gregor Levold, Director of Sales for Ships and Offshore Cranes. Liebherr Rostock. "Another important factor in cooperating with OHT is our support and guidance for the initial setup of Alfa Lift cranes. Due to the extensive experience of our experts, the Liebherr expert team will travel to China and provide supervision and support for the installation of HLC 150000 in the shipyard , Debug and Test Process (ICT)."
Bjarne Birkeland, Head of OHT Ship Management, said: “With the launch of the ship, we have recently reached an important milestone in the construction of Alfa Lift. We are very pleased to see the high-quality Liebherr 3000 ton heavy crane components being transported from them. The facility is preparing for the next important milestone. We look forward to seeing the crane installed on the ship and thank Liebherr’s experts for their excellent cooperation and diligence.”
The HLC 150000 has a maximum lifting capacity of 3,000 tons at 30 meters and a maximum lifting capacity of 1,000 tons at 76 meters, which can be used for various applications. Generally speaking, Liebherr's HLC series is designed with a small footprint. The diameter of the slewing bearing of the HLC 150000 is only 14 meters, so the crane needs very little space on the deck and provides more storage space. Due to the special slip ring configuration, HLC has a 360-degree infinite swing range.
In addition, Liebherr's HLC's foldable A-frame can reduce the height of the crane as required. “Unlike many other crane ships of this size, Alfa Lift will be able to navigate in the waters that the bridge crosses. This feature reduces transportation time, for example when the ship crosses Storebaltsbroen in Denmark and enters the Baltic Sea,” Gregor Levold said. "The foldable A-frame provides greater flexibility, thereby improving operational and cost efficiency, increasing the number of charter days and vessel availability."
For faster maintenance during operation, all components of HLC can be safely accessed through stairs and platforms. A key element of the maintenance concept is the integrated telescopic boom crane capable of lifting up to 6 tons. This maintenance crane allows the heaviest individual components to be replaced without the help of an external crane. This means that comfortable, fast, and economical maintenance can be guaranteed regardless of the location of the ship.
Liebherr's heavy-duty crane series serves the global growing offshore wind power installation market, helping to provide sustainable energy. At the same time, the existing offshore oil and gas facilities will be decommissioned on a large scale to reduce transportation costs. In order to meet these requirements in the best way, cross-departmental development and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes are key elements of these two departmental projects. "Customers of this type of crane have very high requirements for quality and reliability, and we can meet and exceed these requirements," Gregor Levold said. "Our cranes are manufactured in Europe, in cooperation with strong partners within the Liebherr Group and proven and reliable external suppliers. The main components of the crane, such as winches, slewing bearings and slewing drives, are designed and manufactured by other Liebherr companies . This leads to an independent supply chain and guarantees the availability of components." Since the feature-rich HLC series can be used for a variety of operations, there is growing interest in Liebherr heavy lifting cranes worldwide.
In 2022, the HLC 150,000 on the Alpha Lift will start operating in the North Sea. The first project is the construction of a wind farm "Dogger Bank A", about 130 kilometers from the northeast coast of England.
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