Liebherr Container Cranes has completed its first ship-to-shore lifting height project with the new patented lifting system, as part of the Liebherr Transform project, at Patrick Terminals – Brisbane Autostrad in eastern Australia.
Additionally, Liebherr announced that it is going to extend the outreach and the lift height of the cranes in GCT New York LP.
Liebherr has two ship-to-shore (STS) container cranes at Patrick Terminals – Brisbane Autostrad, a new STS currently in operation, and an STS delivered in 2015.
The 2015 crane has a delivered lifting height of 37.5 metres, but an extension of the lifting height was required, due to larger ships approaching the port.
Liebherr’s new patented jack system for lift height extensions was used for the first time at the Brisbane terminal in 2022.
Designed and built in Liebherr Container Cranes in Ireland, one of the key features of the system is that it uses the crane’s end carriage as a solid base for jacking the crane structure, eliminating the requirement for additional equipment.
GCT New York LP operates four Liebherr ship-to-shore container cranes, supplied in 2004.
Working in partnership with Liebherr USA, GCT will undertake a significant Liebherr Transform project in order to extend the lift height of the cranes by 8.6 metres and the outreach of the machines by 5 metres (two bays).
The cranes have until now a lift height of 36.57 metres and an outreach of 50 metres.
Torsten Paas, divisional manager of Liebherr USA, commented, “We have worked closely with our customers in GCT New York to develop a tailor made solution that will meet their growth needs over the coming years. In line with the well-known life expectancy of Liebherr cranes, GCT can expect many more years of quality service from their existing machines. The project serves as a clear example of the real-world benefits of Liebherr Transform. GCT will benefit from extended operational ability of their cranes at a fraction of the cost of replacing their cranes.”
