November 19 - In a world first, Liebherr says that it has fitted a LTR 11200 telescopic crawler crane to the deck of a self-propelled jack-up barge for DBB Jack-up Services, a Danish offshore services provider.
Capable of lifting 1200 tonnes at 2.5 m, the newly fitted crane barge, appropriately named WIND, has been working just off the Dutch North Sea coast at the OWEZ offshore wind farm.
DBB Jack-up Services made the special arrangement with Liebherr to maximise the benefit of the crane's significant under-hook height (which can be as much as 190 m using Liebherr's T3 adaptor) by using a lower centre of gravity, as well as significantly reducing the space required to operate the crane.
Liebherr claim that DBB Jack-up Services, a subsidiary of DBB - Salvage and Towing Company, now has the first barge in the world with a telescopic crane permanently mounted on the ship's deck.
DBB's experience of using Liebherr crawler cranes led it to decide that the existing partnership between the two companies would ensure the best availability of parts and service assistance.
The LTR 11200 has been given a number of technical modifications for operation on the high seas. Instead of a diesel engine, an electric motor will be used for operating the crane, powered by the high-performance power plant of the ship. This means there is no further need for environmentally harmful and flammable fuel to be kept on the deck. The crane is powered by bio-hydraulic oil for reasons of environmental protection, and when it came to the painting and the design of the electrical switch cabinets particular account was taken of the special conditions encountered at sea.
It took just one week for the crane to be installed on the barge at the Orskov shipyard in Frederikshavn.
