After a Liebherr LHM 600 mobile harbour crane could not be delivered due to an incident during transport in the Kiel Canal at the end of last year, Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH delivered a replacement unit at short notice. With the new LHM 800 High Rise, Port Esbjerg now has two of the strongest mobile harbour cranes in the world.

The delivery took place only a short time after an incident in the Kiel Canal, in which an LHM 600 ordered by Port Esbjerg was damaged while passing under the Holtenau High Bridge. Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH sent service engineers and technical specialists to assess the situation on site and to assist with the recovery immediately after the incident. In addition, every effort was made to deliver a replacement unit to Port Esbjerg as quickly as possible.

The open deck cargo carrier M/S Meri transported the new LHM 800 to the port of Esbjerg. Source: Port Esbjerg

A Partnership Based on Trust

“We have a long and cooperative relationship with the Port of Esbjerg. So it goes without saying that one of our top priorities after the incident was to deliver a new machine as quickly as possible. With a lot of commitment, the trust of our customer and a strong team, we succeeded,” says Roman Chopyk, Area Manager for Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes. With the early delivery of the LHM 800 High Rise, Liebherr is fulfilling its customer promise despite the circumstances and is helping the Port of Esbjerg to achieve its ambitious goals. A new LHM 600 will also be delivered as soon as possible.

“Liebherr’s strength and commitment to solve urgent and complex problems is of real value to Port Esbjerg, albeit it is the robustness and operability of these advanced cranes we treasure most,” says Dennis Jul Pedersen, CEO Port Esbjerg.

Third Port Worldwide

The first LHM 800 for Port Esbjerg was delivered in 2019. It is the largest and most powerful mobile harbour crane in the Liebherr portfolio. The high-rise-version allows the customer to lift project cargo up to a height of 92 metres. The LHM 800 meets the ever-increasing demand for mobile heavy-duty cranes in the maritime sector. A major driver of this development is the wind industry. In a special heavy-lift version, the LHM 800 can lift loads of up to 308 tonnes. With the delivery of the second LHM 800, the Port of Esbjerg today already has the seventh Liebherr mobile harbour crane in operation. It will thus be the third port in the world to count two LHM 800s among its fleet. With this equipment, tandem lifts of up to 616 tonnes are possible. This means that even components of the next generation of offshore wind turbines can be handled quickly and safely. The Port of Esbjerg is a European leader in handling wind energy components and plays a key role in the Danish offshore wind industry: 80% of the offshore wind capacity installed in Europe was shipped from the Port of Esbjerg.