New Liebherr offshore crane counters requirements for operations with limited space on deck

Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH proudly presents the latest innovation for the offshore crane market at the ONS exhibition - the RL-K 2600. The ram luffing knuckle boom crane series has been extended by this model which is especially characterised by a very compact design. Fair trade visitors will be the first who are able to experience this new crane.

Since space on deck is an increasingly important issue in the offshore sector, Liebherr has developed a new solution which meets the customers’ requirements. With a small tail swing radius of less than 3 metres the new RL-K 2600 significantly reduces restriction on freedom of movement on platforms and vessels. Thereby the number of possible applications will be increased. The small tail swing radius is being ensured by the space saving knuckle boom design without machinery house.

Optionally the crane can be equipped with a new developed path control, an assistant system for optimisation of crane movements. The feature considers further safety aspects and thereby supports the crane driver when operating within restricted areas.

The crane has a lifting capacity of up to 50 tonnes. Supply and maintenance work therefore fall within the scope of applications. Because of the possibility to equip the crane with either hook or a riser/ gripper the RL-K also covers pipe handling tasks. This makes the crane applicable on both fixed platforms as well as vessels such as drill ships.

A further advantage of the crane is its lightweight construction. Gained from many years of experience Liebherr has also paid great attention to this topic, as this is an extremely important criterion for the market. This also applies to applications under harsh weather conditions. Consequently, the RL-K can be used for operations under arctic environmental conditions, too.

The RL-K 2600 is Liebherr’s is a further innovation in the offshore crane sector in 2018. In May of this year Liebherr already relaunched the compact board offshore crane series with the designation CBO. Equipped with a main hoist capacity of 100 tonnes, the CBO is appropriate for general purpose applications in the oil and gas industry. Its main unique selling proposition is also the very compact design. The tail swing radius of the CBO is less than 4 metres. The addition of the cranes to the company’s portfolio underlines Liebherr’s strategy to implement customer requirements and to focus on future markets.