Alfa Lift’s crane pieces coming together

Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock has put together the lower slewing unit of the HLC 150000-300 heavy lift crane which will be installed on OHT’s Alfa Lift installation vessel.

According to the crane supplier, “the wedding” of the the lower slewing column and the machinery frame, which together make the lower slewing unit, marks the latest key milestone in the construction of the crane for OHT’s vessel, currently under construction at China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) shipyard in China.

The manufacturing processes are now in the final phase at the Liebherr site in Rostock, with the next step for the crane to be the electrical and hydraulic connection of the two lower slewing unit’s components, as well as further completion activities on the crane.

After these works are completed,the connection between the upper and the lower slewing unit will take place.

Liebherr says that its HLC (Heavy-Lift Crane) series is specially designed for the installation of offshore wind foundations and substations, and the installation and decommissioning of offshore platforms, for which Alfa Lift will be deployed.

The vessel, due to be delivered in early 2021, has already been selected for the transport and installation of monopile foundations and transition pieces at Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B wind farms in the UK.

Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock and OHT signed a contract for the HLC 150000-3000 crane for Alfa Lift in mid-2018.

The crane has a maximum lifting capacity of 3,000 tonnes at 30 metres and 1,000 tonnes at 76 metres outreach.

The 216.3-metre Alfa Lift will also have a 10,000+ m² “smart” deck that can carry up to 14 XL monopiles per trip, and will be fully submersible to a depth of 14.66 metres.

The vessel, designed in close cooperation with Ulstein Design & Solutions and DNV GL, will be capable of installing all types of bottom-fixed offshore wind foundations and will also transport and install topsides and subsea modules, in addition to other heavy cargoes within oil and gas.