Niedersachsen Ports on course of expansion with Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes

Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG (NPorts) in Northern Germany ordered two Liebherr Mobile Harbor Cranes (LHM) to work the switches for more turnover in their seaports, Brake and Emden.

In Brake, NPorts has already successfully operated a LHM 500 for years. Hence the company decided to equip the Niedersachsenkai with the successor model, type LHM 550. The LHM 550 provides a maximum lifting capacity of 144 tonnes and an outreach of up to 54 meters. At maximum outreach the capacity is 40.9 tonnes.

Due to this second LHM in Brake, NPorts also offers high-capacity tandem lifts to its customers. Because of the installation of Sycratronic, one crane operator can handle heavy loads of up to 284 tonnes. The new crane started operation in May 2013. In Brake, NPorts mainly handles project cargo, heavy cargo and components for the wind power industry.

The NPorts branch in Emden was in need of a short delivery time. After the existing cranes had to be shut down at short notice, an alternative was needed quickly. Liebherr was in the position to offer a delivery time of just 14 days for the LHM 420. In early April, the new crane was delivered to Emden fully assembled. A few days after arrival, the new crane was ready for operation.

“Because of the urgent need the procurement of the new mobile harbor crane was quite challenging for all parties involved. We are pleased that everything worked out very smoothly, including the contract negotiations, the challenging unload of the crane at the Südkai, the installation of the LHM 420 and the training of the crane operators in Emden,” said Dipl. Ing. Wilfried Schleusener, project manager in engineering.        

The LHM 420 is equipped with two double winches and provides a maximum lifting capacity of 124 tonnes as well as a maximum outreach of 48 meters. At maximum outreach the capacity is 34.5 tonnes. Main tasks of the new machine include grab operation (SWL 75 tonnes), project cargo, and break bulk.

Both Liebherr Mobile Harbor Cranes in Lower Saxony’s Emden and Brake are equipped with a 670 kW diesel engine. Fuel consumption is between 25 and 35 liters per operating hour (depending on application).