Full Steam Ahead: Port Dredging in Italy

As one of the major hubs for ferry services to Corsica and Sardinia, the Port of Vado Ligure in northern Italy is in the process of significantly extending its capacities. In order to be able to accommodate not only more, but also larger vessels the Port Authority has commenced on a project to deepen the waterways in the port area to between 11 and 14m, as well as to add new piers in the bay area.

Dredging contractor Co.Ed.Mar from Chioggia (Italy) is using its self-propelled barge “Wise” to remove the sediment. It is equipped with a brand new Liebherr duty cycle crawler crane type HS 8130 HD with hydraulic clamshell bucket. Thanks to the optimum grab capacity of 6m³, quicker movements and larger outreaches can be achieved during operation. Co.Ed.Mar attains cycle times of only 45 sec. when dredging material from the seabed and 25 sec. when unloading the vessel. This results in an average turnover of approx. 400m³ per hour (equal to the barge loading capacity).

All-round Qualities of the Duty Cycle Crawler Crane

A number of factors contributed to Co.Ed.Mar’s decision to choose the Liebherr duty cycle crawler crane HS 8130 HD. With a total weight of approx. 120t including crawlers, the machine can be quickly and effortlessly positioned on or off the barge, so providing the owner with a high level of flexibility and the option to use the machine in different areas. The duty cycle crawler crane is a real all-rounder and can not only be fitted with grabs of capacities up to 10m³ for dredging or material handling purposes, but also with a whole range of attachments for deep foundation and lifting applications.