Design layout of the new Liebherr HLC 295000 mounted on Deme’s next generation offshore installation vessel Orion (photo: Liebherr)

Liebherr’s maritime manufacturing plant in Rostock has been awarded the contract to supply the heavy-lift crane for the Orion, a new wind farm installation and platform decommissioning vessel ordered by DEME from COSCO (QiDong) Offshore, a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry. The crane is rated at 3,000 tonnes at more than 50 metres, with a lifting height in excess of 170 meters and a designation of HLC (Heavy-Lift Crane) 295000. Delivery will be spring 2019.

“It is a great honour to work with both DEME and COSCO on such a revolutionary project, and fits well in to our company strategy,” says Gordon Clark, Sales Director Liebherr Offshore Cranes. “We see a promising future in the heavy-lift sector, with growth in both the green energy sector and also offshore decommissioning,” concludes Clark.

The Liebherr offshore crane division made the strategic decision in 2016 to extend its range of heavy lift cranes 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.

“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,” says Leopold Berthold, Managing Director Liebherr Maritime Cranes. “The Liebherr Board and the Liebherr Family were supporting this development during 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,” Berthold adds.

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.

“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,” a DEME spokesperson says.

Apart from the main crane, the order also includes two of Liebherr’s RL-K 4200 knuckle boom cranes and an offshore crane simulator.

“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,” a COSCO spokesperson concludes.

Tags: Liebherr Offshore Cranes