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Busy times at Liebherr as the company delivers one LPS 600 portal slewing crane and secures a new order for an LHM 550 mobile harbour crane.
International Car Operators NV (ICO) has purchased a second Liebherr mobile harbour crane LHM 550, which will be used for handling containers and project cargo at ICO’s terminal in Antwerp.
ICO Terminals, a subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), is a global player in Ro-Ro cargo handling and storage, and the company handles more than 2 million vehicles annually, with terminals in Zeebrugge and Antwerp. The Vrasene terminal in Antwerp spans 125 hectares and processes around 7,000 vehicles daily, and a growing number of project cargoes by barge.
In Antwerp, ICO has been managing substantial volumes of out-of-gauge project cargo for years. Liebherr explained that the company’s existing crane has become outdated both technically and in terms of capacity, as unit weights now often exceed 100t.
“Notably, about 75% of the cargo handled annually at the Antwerp terminal, amounting to 40,000t, consists of Liebherr cargo. This is a testament to modern and sustainable logistics, with Liebherr Colmar dispatching nearly all its overseas products by barge to the terminal, from where the cargo is distributed to various shipment berths,” Liebherr said.
The new LHM 550 crane is scheduled to leave the factory and be delivered to ICO in eight months. It features a 54m outreach and a lifting capacity of up to 154t as well as an e-drive setup for future readiness.
ICO has already seen the crane model in action. Specifically, in 2021 the company bought a Liebherr LHM 550 for its Zeebrugge terminal to diversify beyond the core business of car handling and to meet the growing customer demand for increased Ro-Ro shipment of project cargoes delivered by barge. The first Liebherr LHM 550 handled 10,000t in its first year, 22,000t in the second, and, according to Liebherr, a significant increase is anticipated in 2024.
“At ICO, we are constantly looking ahead to ensure we have the best equipment and technology to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” says Alain Guillemyn, Managing Director at ICO Terminals. “The addition of the second Liebherr LHM 550 to our Antwerp terminal reflects our commitment to innovation and flexibility for all kinds of cargo projects. We aim to deliver efficiency and reliability across every operation, from traditional vehicle handling to complex project cargo.”
Liebherr has also announced the delivery of a LPS 600 portal slewing crane to J. MÜLLER Weser GmbH & Co. KG, a Northern Germany-based provider of seaport logistics for agricultural, bulk and mass-produced goods. The recently delivered crane is intended for the Port of Brake, located 26 kilometres upstream from the Weser delta, and marks the first rail-mounted portal crane at the port. At the moment, the LPS 600 is undergoing commissioning at the port. The seaport of Brake has modern transhipment facilities, silo facilities and warehouses along a 2.5-kilometre-long quay and a total of seven berths for large ships.
LPS 600 is designed for a total travel distance of 650 metres in one direction and has an extra-large cable drum. It features a 61-metre boom, a motorised grab control and an e-drive. A curve-going chassis with various pivot points has also been installed so that the crane can travel on winding roads and thus reach more areas of the harbour effectively. Special seals on the wheels have been installed as flood protection. The crane also has video monitoring at the portal, which is not part of the standard equipment.
Liebherr explained that the use of a largely closed grab reduces emissions when handling dusty dry bulk such as grain and animal feed. Under ideal conditions, up to 1,000t of dry bulk can be handled per hour. The crane can also be used to handle unitised cargo such as pulp, timber, steel, wind turbines and project cargo. The crane’s reach also allows direct ship-to-ship handling.
“Our investment in the LPS 600 will significantly improve our handling performance for dry bulk materials such as grain, feed, scrap, minerals, and for general cargo such as iron and steel, project cargo, wind turbines, wood, and pulp. The aim is to ensure smoother and more efficient operation and ultimately to increase throughput,” says Jens Ripken, Managing Director of J. MÜLLER Weser GmbH. “We are confident that this crane will not only meet our current requirements, but will also support our future growth and expansion plans while meeting our sustainability goals.”
J. MÜLLER was founded in 1821 and has been family-owned ever since. The company operates its own seaport terminals in Brake and Bremen for the transhipment and seaport logistics of dry bulk and breakbulk of various sizes. The storage capacity in Brake is around 1.2mt, including up to 600,000t of bulk goods in silos and warehouses and a further 600,000t of general cargo in covered and open storage areas. The company has the largest continuous silo facility in Europe and can unload 20,000t of agricultural goods every day.
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