Page 34 - Port of Hamburg Magazine 02.24

PAGE 34
ALL-PURPOSE PORT PORT OF HAMBURG MAGAZINE 2/24
beneath the propellors of the port and starboard en- gines, which can perform fine course corrections with the slightest thrust.
To ensure things keep running smoothly over the com- ing years, HHLA IV was retrofitted last year. “This is the first major retrofit for HHLA IV after seven decades in use,” says Stephan Fröhlich, head of floating cranes at Hamburger Hafen und Logistic AG (HHLA), adding: “The project is based on the original construction and circuit diagrams from the 1950s. This work should en- sure at least another 15 years of service.” The crane has already celebrated its 80th birthday – a prime ex- ample of sustainability in practice at HHLA. After all, the construction of a new crane would involve tremen- dously high energy and material costs for such a large piece of equipment.
The scaffolded and film-wrapped crane body gives away the extensive work being carried out on the spe- cial vessel. HHLA III had already removed the cantile- ver together with mobile cranes in summer 2023. At the time, the movable construction was deposited at the quay in five segments.
The lower link arm lay under a tent with a corrugated iron roof. Protected in the mobile hall, the old steel con- struction underwent thorough reconditioning. The signs of use and the old paint were removed before necessary repairs were carried out and new corrosion protection applied. The opportunity will also be taken to replace the massive bearings. This work is being car- ried out on the tower of the self-driving pontoon, pro- tected under cover.
All the effort in reconditioning the crane is worthwhile for HHLA, since the construction dating back to the mid- 20th century is still ideally suited to certain tasks at the port. Heavy loads with oversized weights and dimen- sions are still transhipped at the all-purpose port. This in- cludes ship propellors, which can weigh more than 100 tonnes, as well as the parts of large offshore wind farms. This is where the floating cranes are in their element. They can lift the heaviest loads with extreme flexibility, transport them autonomously and securely stow them on huge container ships. For really big jobs, the cranes can even work in tandem. “The fact that our cranes can turn 360 degrees is almost unmatched in heavy cargo handling at ports nowadays,” says Heinrich Proes, out- lining the special capabilities of the historic cranes.
This is possible thanks to the classic design: a conical tower in steel framework is firmly attached to the pon- toon, which is enveloped by the freely rotatable struc- ture like a hood. The upper section houses the bearings
of the cantilever structure with the lower link arm and the upper link arm. The overall form is rounded off by the cantilever tip at the front and the counterbalance at the rear. In combination, the lower rotating assembly and the tip of the supporting structure absorb the ver- tical and horizontal forces. A whole battery of slip rings in the heart of the structure ensure electrical energy and control signals are transmitted between the struc- ture and the vessel.
A similar setup can be seen with HHLA III. The floating
crane was reconditioned a little earlier in 2023. At the
beginning of the year, the high cantilever that towers
above most of the port facilities was disassembled,
while the rest was sandblasted and painted. Newly
manufactured parts arrived from Poland by ship, the
heaviest of which weighed 65 tonnes. The upper and
lower link arms, cantilever tip and swing arm were un-
Visualisierung des geplanten loaded with the helpImopf oHrHttLeArmIVin.aTlsheimheHaavfyenpuvzoznle
pieces had to be put back together and assembled on land with mobile cranes, including all wheels, bearings, ladders and steel cables, each of which is four centime- tres thick and 500 metres long.
In February, before an audience of inspectors from Ger- manischer Lloyd and the trade association, the 71-year- old machine then lifted 110 tonnes – ten tonnes more than the normal maximum weight – without any groan- ing. It continues to meet all the safety requirements. Germanischer Lloyd monitored every step of the re- pairs and checked all the welding seams and cables.
Soon, the old machines will once again stand togeth- er next to huge container ships and load cargo too heavy for gantry cranes. There is plenty of space at Hachmannkai for storing the packaging units. “The lo- cation is ideal,” notes Fröhlich. “The cranes are situat- ed next to HHLA Container Terminal Tollerort, where we often load heavy cargo onto container ships. Blohm & Voss is located right across from them at the offshore terminal, as is MAN which installs ship diesel engines. Both are customers.”
Brunsbüttel.
Take a look at the oldest floating crane
Two 30-tonners still belonged to the fleet of floating cranes until the 1980s: HHLA I and HHLA II. They were built by world-class Hamburg companies in 1928, neither of which exist today: Deut- scher Werft and the crane builder Kampnagel. In 1986, HHLA I was handed over to Ovelgönne museum harbour, where it can still be visited to this day. Back then it was the oldest active cra- ne at the Port of Hamburg and it had achieved more than 100,000 hours of operation. Following extensive restoration work, it was most recently seen at the port’s anniversary parade.
© Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH/ Brunsbüttel Ports