‘Hulk’ harbour crane arrives in Norway’s Port of Arendal

The crane features an outreach of 54m and heavy-duty lifting of up to 144t.

The four-rope version of the LHM 550 also features a grab that is coupled with Liebherr’s SmartGrip technology, which can optimise the grab’s filling rate through self-learning – SmartGrip learns after a few lifting cycles how to optimise capacity utilisation, reducing overloads, increasing the material handling rate and, Liebherr says, “alleviating stress for the crane operator”.

The crane is also equipped with noise insulation material in the winch and machinery compartment, and an e-drive to enable CO2-emission-free operation. In addition, the LiDAT smartApp package was chosen for the LHM 550. LiDAT modules such as Maintenance and Optimise will help monitor a variety of variables for better crane performance tracking and efficiency.

Bulk material such as salt and sulphur will be among the main resources handled by the LHM 550.

Rune Hvass, port director at Arendal Havn, the enterprise owned by Arendal municipality, said: “After deliberations about which LHM model fits our logistical needs the best, we ultimately decided on the LHM 550. An increasing number of customers are demanding capacity for larger and heavier project and general cargo. To also provide better support for a new battery factory that will be built locally, the choice for a larger mobile harbour crane made most sense.

“The high-quality level at which Liebherr is building its cranes, and especially the service concept Liebherr provides, were some of the main reasons why we decided to purchase a Liebherr mobile harbour crane.”

To help mark the delivery of the crane, a special naming contest was hosted by the port. Arendal Havn invited 25 groups including the region’s kindergartens, primary schools and lower secondary schools to participate in a naming contest for the port’s new crane. The winner of the contest, a kindergarten, received a €200 prize and a tour of the harbour.

The winning name? ‘Hulken’, which translates to ‘Hulk’ in English, and is taken from the Marvel comic book character.

The Port of Arendal is located in the southern part of Norway between Larvik and Kristiansand.

The crane was delivered in August.

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