Liebherr’s offshore crane division installed a board offshore crane, type BOS 35000, on the Giant 7 heavy lift barge, which installed the first foundations at the Wikinger offshore wind farm at the end of the last month.
The crane was specially developed for the use on Giant 7, and the entire project, from design through manufacturing to final assembly and testing, has been done in Liebherr’s facility in Rostock, northern Germany. The crane installation started in January.
“We had 25 experienced engineers and technicians constantly occupied with the project. Including work preparation, their task took around 5000 working hours,” said Gordon Clark , Liebherr Sales Director Offshore Cranes.
The assembly of the BOS 35000 on Giant 7 took four and a half weeks. After this period the final phase started. Before delivery, every product goes through an extensive testing process. Testing includes measurements of luffing and hoisting speeds, boom movements as well as the static and dynamic behaviour of the crane structure.
The stability and reliability is tested by lifting weights of up to 660 tonnes – 10 percent more than the regularly working load. The tests are fulfilled in accordance to all relevant offshore regulations.