A longstanding partnership between Damen Shipyards and leading crane manufacturer Liebherr was celebrated with the announcement that Damen has ordered its 110th crane from Liebherr. The two family-owned companies have worked together since 1985.
The 110th order was for a Liebherr CBG 350 crane, which will be installed on the new generation Transshipment Crane Barge 6324.  Member of the board of Liebherr-International AG, Patricia Rüf, and CCO Arnout Damen, both represent the third generation of their family-owned companies. At the signing ceremony for the 110th order, Patricia Rüf said, “The vessels of Damen Shipyards Group and the cranes from Liebherr complement each other perfectly and achieve highest effectiveness when it comes down to transportation and transshipment of goods globally. The common position of both our companies essentially follows the philosophy of creating the highest quality standards and we are proud that our cranes are installed on their vessels. We are confident that our cooperation will continue in the future and we are in no doubt that the continuous improvement of our ship crane portfolio will meet the requirements of next-generation vessels.” Arnout Damen said: “We are very pleased to be ordering this, the 110th Liebherr crane used on a Damen vessel. The crane will be used on the next generation Transshipment Crane Barge, the latest innovative solution resulting from the collaboration between our companies. We have very much enjoyed working together with Liebherr for more than 30 years and look forward to continuing to do so in the future.” The new barge type was designed by the two companies, together with Pon Power for the generator sets, DMT Marine Equipment (winches) and Van der Leun (electrical systems). The Transshipment Barge is being built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania and will be delivered before the end of the year on a turnkey basis. Two more of the new generation barges are also available with very short delivery times and will be completed in May and October this year. Plug-and-play options and additional equipment can be delivered with the barges to fit any operation and client requirements. Damen’s Transshipment Crane Barge 6324 is a low cost transshipment barge designed for ship-to-ship, ship-to-barge or ship-to-quay operations. The design is suitable for flexible harbour services being able to tranship dry bulk, containers and breakbulk. The 63-metre long vessel boasts 880m2 of deck space, with additional below-deck lashing stores. The double drum mooring winches are positioned in such a way to enhance safety during mooring operations. An amphibious cooperation The Liebherr CBG 350 crane provides efficient loading capabilities with grab, hook and container operations of 45 tonnes at 36 metres in harbour conditions and 35 tonnes at 36 metres at open seas up to 21 nautical miles. Additional to the turn-key Transshipment Barges Liebherr has a portfolio fulfilling all land-based equipment to suit your business, where Damen can deliver tugs, barges, cargo vessels and crew suppliers amongst others.