Huisman has developed a 700mt Travelling Quayside Crane (pictured) for the load-out of offshore wind turbine components.
The move comes as a result of rising demand for large, 2,600mt and 4,000mt Skyhook Cranes for the load-out of foundation pieces and installation of floating turbines, the company said.
With this 700mt Travelling Quayside Crane, the load-out process of offshore wind turbine components can take place significantly faster compared to the regular methods that involve crawler cranes, or a tandem-lifting by two cranes with a capacity around 200mt to 300mt, Huisman added.
The new Quayside Crane has been designed fully electric, allowing for a direct connection to the quayside power grid.
This allows regenerative energy to be directed back into the utility grid, thus drastically limiting the net energy consumption of the crane, according to the company.
Although the crane is designed to travel on a track 16m wide, this can be adapted to local requirements.
Capable of lifting 700mt at a radius of 25m, the crane can bring many turbine components to any place in the hold of the majority of the cargo vessels currently used for turbine transportation, Huisman said.
It added that the ability to travel at decent speed with load in the hook enables a more flexible delivery schedule of components to the load-out quayside.
Huisman product manager for cranes Cees van Veluw said: “We see a need in the offshore wind logistics market for increased efficiency in smaller ports in newly developed offshore wind areas.
“The traditional use of crawler cranes or multiple smaller quayside cranes would require a very large backyard.
“It also requires the transport vessel to be moored along the quayside for an unnecessarily long time.
“With this new 700mt Huisman Travelling Quayside Crane, offshore wind ports can be ready for a quick load-out of turbine components in a sustainable manner.”