German developer of construction machinery, Liebherr, has reached a milestone with 1,300th shipped from the Rostock premises to its final destination in Ghana. 

Since the start of production in 2005, Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock has manufactured and delivered over 1,000 maritime cranes. Today, the numerous mobile harbour, ship and offshore cranes are in use in over 100 countries on all continents.

The LHM 550 cranes were lifted recently onboard the BBC-Russia heavy-lift vessel before starting their 5,500-kilometer journey to Ghana. There they will serve the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) at the Port of Tema.

Liebherr leverages factory’s accessibility

The berths next to the Liebherr factory in Rostock’s port are accessible to ships with a draught of up to 13 meters and are free from shipping obstacles such as locks and bridges. The factory’s direct connection to the Baltic Sea makes it possible to load the fully assembled cranes, in working order.

“The Rostock international port offers us ideal conditions for shipping the often large-dimensioned equipment. We now load 60-65 percent of the cranes in fully assembled condition,” says Gregor Levold, General Manager – Shipping and Heavy Lift Handling at Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH.

The company is able to utilize various loading options when shipping the cranes. The loading onto the BBC-Russia is being carried out in the lift on/lift off (LoLo) procedure. The LoLo procedure involves cargo being lifted up onto the ship using on-board cranes.

The roll on/roll off (RoRo) procedure on board special ships enables the machines to travel independently from the quay onto the vessel. However, road freight also offers advantages for many customers due to the immediate proximity of the Liebherr factory to the German motorway network.

Innovations for greener operations

In future, the mobile harbour crane series is set to run on the fossil-free HVO 100 diesel. The diesel reduces emissions by up to 90 percent and is derived from renewable raw materials.

Additionally, a fundamentally revised hybrid drive for the Mobile Harbour Crane will be introduced shortly.

The revision will allow users to switch between two different modes: the boost mode that provides extra power for faster handling, and the eco mode that significantly reduces fuel consumption.