BigLift Baffin sailing from Cobh, Ireland
Three megamax container cranes have arrived in the Port of New York and New Jersey on the Netherlands-flagged heavy-lift ship BigLift Baffin. They will be offloaded and installed at the Maher Terminals in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The new cranes, built by the Liebherr Group in Killarney, Ireland, are among the largest in the world. With a height of 150 meters, an outreach of above 53 meters, and a lift height of over 40 meters, the cranes each have a safe lifting load of 40-50 tonnes in single operations, 65 tonnes in twin operations, and 100 tonnes in tandem.
In addition to their impressive capacity, these cranes are designed to be lighter, relatively, which reduces power consumption. Also, the cranes generate electricity during the lowering process, which they then return to the grid.
What the hell does that ship look like below the waterline, I wonder? With those huge cranes on board, it sure looks like a candidate for a starring role in Poseiden Adventure II.
No doubt, the stability was carefully calculated. Unlike other container cranes, that have been fully assembled when carried on converted tankers, these cranes have the heaviest components stowed relatively low on the deck. They will have to be reassembled once offloaded.
Now why did English container ports buy cranes from China on the other side of the world when they could have been made just around the corner in Ireland?