On 20 January, Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft (LHG), in collaboration with heavy cargo specialists Thömen Spedition from Hamburg and Baumann Move from Bornheim, successfully unloaded and transported two transformers weighing a combined total of 572 tonnes.
Measuring approximately 12 meters in length and 3.5 meters in width, these transformers were transported to Stockelsdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
The transformers arrived at LHG’s Nordlandkai terminal on 19 January, aboard the River Trader coaster, which sailed from Rotterdam. Manufactured by Hitachi Energy in Bad Honnef, they were initially transported via the Rhine to Rotterdam. The River Trader’s voyage was organized by Lübeck shipbrokers Meerpahl and Meyer.
This complex operation required extensive planning, with Thömen, Baumann, and LHG preparing for weeks. To manage the heavy load, Thömen deployed the LG 1750, a 750-tonne Liebherr lattice boom mobile crane, renowned for its size and power. Visible from miles away on clear days, the crane’s setup was a logistical feat in itself. Its assembly and disassembly each took four days, utilizing counterweights and accessories delivered by 26 lorries to the terminal the prior week.
“The mobile crane was used twice to bring the two transformers safely to shore. This was a fantastic job for our big crane. Everyone involved worked together very well and everything went like clockwork,” commented Marc Bernschneider, Project Manager at Thömen Hamburg.
With the unloading completed, the focus now shifts to the second stage: transporting the heavy loads by road. Scheduled for 10 p.m. on 20 and 22 January, the 87-meter-long convoys will travel via Posener Straße and Schwartauer Allee to their destination in Stockelsdorf. The transformers will be installed in the TenneT substation for the East Coast Line, a critical infrastructure project supporting energy transition and grid stability. This substation will channel green electricity from East Holstein to southern Germany and connect the nation to the European grid via the Baltic Cable.
Just days before handling the transformers, LHG managed the loading of a Siemens Vectron locomotive at the Skandinavienkai terminal, destined for Finland.
“With these latest activities, we are consistently expanding our role as a universal port, especially for demanding project cargo,” explained Timo Beyer, Head of Operations at LHG.
