Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH together with Aibel AS has signed a contract for the delivery of a cylinder-luffing crane, type RL 2600-35 Lit. The company TenneT TSO GmbH commissioned Aibel AS to build the offshore platform DolWin epsilon on which the Liebherr crane will be used for supply and maintenance tasks on the German North Sea.

The RL 2600-35 Lit is a weight-optimized and compact designed offshore crane. It is the ideal equipment for small platforms, where space is limited. The RL 2600-35 Lit has a box boom with a maximum working outreach of 52 meters and a maximum lifting capacity of 35 tons.

“With the RL 2600-35 Lit, we are delivering the latest innovation within our offshore crane portfolio. The crane is ready to be equipped with innovative maintenance features to meet the demanding requirements of normally unmanned offshore platforms and with its reliable and maintenance-friendly design the RL 2600-35 Lit will help to lead the DolWin5 project to a success”,

says Matti Basan, Sales Manager Offshore Cranes.

With DolWin5 TenneT realizes a high-voltage direct current offshore grid connection system in the German part of the North Sea. The grid connection has a transmission capacity of 900 MW and is located in the DolWin cluster. DolWin5 is to connect the offshore wind park Borkum Riffgrund 3 to the high-voltage grid onshore.

Long cooperation with Aibel AS and TenneT

The RL 2600 will be delivered in the middle of 2021. Until that, Liebherr will collaborate closely with Aibel AS, who is responsible for building the offshore platform. With this order, the business relationship between Liebherr and Aibel AS is expanded and strengthened. Once the platform has been completed, TenneT will take it over and operate the RL 2600-35 for maintenance work and the loading and uploading of offshore supply vessels.

Liebherr delivered already 13 RL cranes to the customer TenneT. Various sizes were requested, from the RL 850 and the RL 1500 to the RL 2650 with a possible maximum lifting capacity up to 60 tonnes. All of these cranes are placed on offshore platforms, which are necessary for the operation of offshore wind farms. Liebherr and TenneT are thus contributing to the expansion of renewable energies and emission-free power supply.

Weight-optimized and compact design

A weight-optimized and compact design with a load-bearing capacity up to 100 tonnes makes the ram luffing crane series (RL) from Liebherr an ideal piece of equipment for small and unmanned platforms or floating storage vessels. The ram luffing crane RL can be powered electro-hydraulically or diesel-hydraulically and is available for explosive areas in accordance with the requisite classification. The box-type booms in the RL crane have a cylinder luffing design. This lowers the height and weight to a minimum and enables low-maintenance operation.

Source: Liebherr