MacGREGOR Cranes has won an order to supply 320-tonne SWL versions of its new GLH heavy-lift crane for a series of four general cargo vessels ordered by Polish/Chinese owner Chipolbrok

Highlighting MacGREGOR Cranes' capabilities in the heavy-lift crane sector is an order for eight 320-tonne capacity cranes to be fitted in pairs on board a series of four 30,000 dwt general cargo ships. These have been ordered by Polish/Chinese owner Chipolbrok at the Shanghai Shipyard in China. In addition to the GLH cranes, each vessel will also feature pairs of standard GL cranes with an SWL of 50 tonnes.

The ships are also specified with MacGREGOR high-stowing folding-type covers for the five weatherdeck hatches, supported by Flexipad bearing pads. MacGREGOR's hatch cover outfit for the tweendecks will incorporate both high-stowing folding-type sets and lift-away sets.

For these first references, the GLH cranes will be able to work in tandem to handle lifts of over 600 tonnes. Each can achieve its rated 320-tonne lift at 16m outreach. The lifting moment for these Chipolbrok GLH cranes equates to an impressive 6,500 tonne-metres. At longer outreaches, out to 32m, the SWL will be reduced.

The GLH series of cranes has been designed to cover a range from 100 tonnes to 350 tonnes SWL. "Although the GLH heavy-lift cranes are a completely new design, they benefit from the same basic philosophy developed during long experience of our GL container cranes," says Hans Ohlsson, MacGREGOR Cranes' marketing manager. "This experience includes component selection, and how the whole system works together. The main difference is that a heavy-lift crane incorporates a higher degree of redundancy, such as a double-pump system."

In the case of such big cranes, special considerations must be adopted to accommodate the different types of load they will need to handle. As one example, the lifting arrangement for very heavy loads would not be suitable for lighter loads, so the cranes are equipped with an alternative hoisting arrangement, a so-called whip hoist, with a capacity of 35 tonnes at a maximum outreach of 35m.

"GLH cranes have the well-known MacGREGOR Cranes 'look': a clean outside surface, with fully enclosed machinery and an internal access," Mr Ohlsson says. "This construction philosophy gives the machinery good protection from the weather. At the same time it lowers the centre of gravity of the crane, which is often of great importance. In this respect we believe our cranes are the best in the market."

Crane development

In its extensive development of cranes over the past decade, MacGREGOR first targeted its container crane designs. MacGREGOR Cranes' GL-series has established itself as the leading container crane on vessels operating worldwide. With a lifting range from 25 tonnes to 50 tonnes or even more, GL units cover all the normal needs on container ships.

After this success, MacGREGOR Cranes focused on specialised cranes for grab-handling, and now offers a range of highly efficient and reliable cranes for this purpose. The new GLB two-rope crane described above is suitable for most bulk carriers, while the four-rope K-crane is also available should the need be for heavy-duty operations and a high number of working hours per year.

On top of this extensive programme, MacGREGOR Cranes is also developing a 'super heavy-lift' (GLSH) crane with lifting capacities of up to 800 tonnes.