The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology

Liebherr floating cranes supply North Vietnam with energy

(Posted on 09/08/21)

Liebherr has delivered four transshipment cranes, type CBG 360, to its long-term customer Oldendorff Carriers for a major project in North Vietnam. In the coming years, the cranes, which excel through their reliability and high operating speeds, will be used for power generation in the region. Another three cranes of the same type will be commissioned in West Africa for handling bauxite.

Handling and transporting 100 million tonnes of cargo in 25 years: that is the goal of the NS2 project of Oldendorff Carriers, Germany´s largest bulk shipping company. To achieve this, Oldendorff Carriers' fleet will work with Liebherr floating cranes. The core of the North Vietnamese project are the power plant´s 2 x 600 megawatt power generation units, which supply the region with energy. The CBG-series ensures a continuous turnover of material for the power plant's operation. The deployed cranes are characterised by their long service life and low maintenance requirements, which is a decisive advantage especially on the open seas and in remote areas.

Liebherr and Oldendorff Carriers can look back on decades of cooperation based on partnership and trust. Like Liebherr, Oldendorff Carriers is a family-owned company that has been operating successfully on the market for many years. For the large-scale project to supply energy to North Vietnam, they were looking for a low-maintenance handling solution. "Oldendorff Carriers values the reliability of Liebherr products and is therefore also counting on high-performance Liebherr four-rope grab cranes, type CBG 360, for this major project," said Jan Breckling, Senior Sales Manager for transshipment and ship cranes at Liebherr Maritime Cranes. "The CBG is a heavy-duty crane designed for continuous operation. The new equipment will therefore play a crucial and at the same time permanent role in our customer's long-term transshipment project."

Each of the four CBG 360 floating cranes is installed on a 10-metre-long eccentric platform. This allows an extended operating radius of 46 metres for a lifting capacity of 30 tons. The maximum lifting capacity of 36 tons can be utilized at up to 40 metres. The improved positioning and outreach creates more operational flexibility and makes the unloading of the cargo holds even more efficient.

Captain Johannes van Dijk, Technical Director Projects at Oldendorff Carriers, said: “We needed a robust, reliable cargo handling system for our project in North Vietnam. For that reason we chose Liebherr CBG 360 cranes which are high-performance cranes designed for continuous operation.” The first transloader, “Calypso”, with two CBG 360 cranes went into service at the beginning of 2021 and start of work coincides with Oldendorff Carriers' 100th company anniversary. Like its sister vessel, it has a length of 145 metres and a deadweight capacity of 18,000 tonnes. In West Africa, the “Albert Oldendorff” with three CBG 360 is in operation for bauxite handling. This transshipment vessel is equipped with hoppers and a conveyor system, which leads to a faster turnover of the material. The cranes are installed side-mounted and directly discharge into the hopper conveyer belt system.

Oldendorff Carriers is a 100-year-old family owned shipping company operating a fleet of about 700 bulk carriers and 50 transshipment vessels.