A custom designed crane designed for the world’s largest cutter suction dredger Spartacus has left the factory.
Liebhers designed and built the CBW luffing crane, the CWB-F 3450. It is the largest crane the company has manufactured at its Rostock factory.
The ship carrying the CBW-F 3450 is only 70 centimetres wider than the crane, which required two Liebherr LHM 800s working in a tandem lift operation.
Taking a total of 60 minutes to lift the crane onto the ship, it was then sent off to its destination in Holland.
The Dutch shipyard IHC Holland BV ordered the crane in November 2017 for the Spartacus, the world’s largest dredger being built by Belgian DEME Group.
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Based on the existing CBW series, the CBW-F 3450 has a maximum lifting capacity of 60 tons (54.4 tonnes) at an outreach of 32.2 metres. It is installed on a mobile gantry so it can be used across the entire length of the ship.
It has a curved boom designed for installation and maintenance work on open water, especially for replacing the heavy-duty cutter head of the Spartacus.
Because of the bended boom, swinging movements are also minimised as the hook is held closer to the cutter head.
It is also equipped with an integrated control system to allow for precision when handling heavy parts during demanding operations over open water.
Safety features include an explosion protected boom tip and obstruction detection for the travelling gantry.
The Spartacus will be the world’s first liquid natural gas-powered Cutter Suction Dredger and has a total installed capacity of 44.180 kilowatts. Its power will enable the ship to cut harder soils at speed that were previously not possible, meaning works can be undertaken with the cutter dredger instead of blasting.