Damen has launched a 75 m x 32 m crane barge at its shipyard in Yichang, China.
Damen is building the crane barge 7532 for a client in Panama.
The launch was seasonally timed to ensure the correct water depth, Damen said. Now that the barge is in the water, the yard will make the final preparations for its journey to Huisman’s yard in the Fujian Province.
There, Huisman is preparing a state-of-the-art crane for the barge. The crane will first be tested on land before being lifted onto the barge for installation and final testing. The barge will have a lifting capacity of 625 tons (567 tonnes) at 25 m.
After completion in China, the crane barge will be transported to Panama on a semi-submersible vessel, with its arrival expected at the end of this year.
Olivier van Papenrecht, Damen sales manager, said: “I’m very proud to see the barge successfully launched. That this has happened now, so close to the original schedule, despite the impact the pandemic had on production, is a real achievement.”
