DECK EQUIPMENT Crane suppliers struggle to meet demand
MANUFACTURERS of cranes for all types of vessel report that they are currently fully booked and are struggling to meet demand, writes David Foxwell.
O
wners and shipyards report that, as is the case with engines for their vessels, crane
manufacturers have become ‘bottlenecks’ in the supply chain. Manufacturers have had to seek new ways
to try to meet demand, sub-contracting work elsewhere and producing parts for cranes in countries as diverse as South Korea, Poland and the Baltic States, but report that their efforts are being hamstrung by limited capacity in their supply chain, particularly, some report, for the slew bearings on which a crane rotates. Capacity in this particular part of the
supply chain is limited to a few well known manufacturers, themselves experiencing a very high level of demand for similar bearings for the fast-growing wind turbine market. Against this background, manufacturers also
report increased demand for larger, high capacity cranes, particularly in the heavy lift market and for offshore vessels. Liebherr said it held orders for heavy lift
cranes stretching into 2008 for cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 120tonnes to 350tonnes, the cranes being destined for German and Dutch shipowners. A notable example of a vessel fitted with
Liebherr cranes is Deo Volente, an innovative coaster built for the account of Hartman Seatrade in The Netherlands that is designed to carry project cargoes and heavy lifts. Operated by Wagenborg Shipping of Delfzil in The Netherlands, the flexible new design has, suggested Hartman Seatrade, set a record for the fastest cargo vessel of less than 3000tons GT in the world. Hartman Seatrade specialises in transporting
smaller types of heavy lift cargo, working mainly in northwest Europe, the Mediterranean and the US East Coast, and Deo Volente has been designed to carry such cargoes and to do so at higher speeds than would be the case with a vessel of conventional design. In addressing the design of the newbuild, the company concluded that high speed would provide more revenue earning capacity than simply carrying more tonnage, and has therefore settled on a high speed design that has a deadweight of approximately 3500tonnes. The ship is fitted with a pair of hefty Liebherr cranes (each of 120tonnes capacity, for heavy lift work, which will be able to lift 240 tonnes in tandem), and has a large, obstruction-free hold – thus enabling the ship to transport lengthy items of cargo – complemented by a tanktop with loading capacity of 15tonnes/m2
and the
ability to carry 240 containers. Four heavy lift vessels being built in India
for German owners are to be equipped with three Liebherr cranes each, two type CBB 350(200)/18(33) cranes with capacities of 350tonnes at 18m and 200tonnes at 33m, and one type CBB 120(50)/15(33) crane with a capacity of 120tonnes at 15m and 50tonnes at 33m.
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Deo Volente is equipped with a pair of CBB 120(81)/16(24) cranes with Liebherr’s proprietary crane control system Litronic. (photo: Bloemberg)
The complexity of cargoes and the high capacity required of the cranes fitted to heavy lift vessels demand reliable equipment which enables heavy lift vessels to load and unload without assistance from quayside cranes in all ports of call.
Harren & Partner Ship Management have,
meanwhile, ordered a total of six cranes scheduled for delivery in 2007 and 2008. Two vessels will each be equipped with two CBB 350(200)/18(31) cranes of 350tonnes at 18m and 200tonnes at 31m, and one CBB 200(80)/14(31), capable of 200tonnes at 14m and 80tonnes at 31m. Dutch owner Zadeko has also selected Liebherr
to supply the cranes for a quartet of new ro- ro/lo-lo vessels it has commissioned, each of which will be equipped with two Liebherr CBB 350(200)/18(33) cranes. Deliveries for these vessels are scheduled to take place beginning later this year and through 2008.
Liebherr’s CBB type electro-hydraulic heavy
lift rope luffing cranes are based on a proven design which has been enhanced to include features that the company believed were unique to Liebherr equipment. As standard, these cranes have the following advantages, noted Liebherr:
• A low centre of gravity, thanks to a reduced distance between the jib pivot and the slew bearing, thus ensuring increased vessel stability.
• A spacious slewing column for easy access for maintenance purposes.
THE NAVAL ARCHITECT FEBRUARY 2007
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