Cranes for heavy lifting

Port Duisburg

Demag cranes for trimodal handling

Demag overhead travelling cranes are used to lift heavy loads for the mechanical and plant engineering sector at the world’s largest inland port in Duisburg. Transformers, turbines or entire production installations now start their journey from Duisburg to destinations all over the world. To ensure smooth operation in the new Heavy Lift Terminal Duisburg (HTD) and other freight-related logistics services, the decision was made to invest in crane systems. The same applies in the Nordhafen sector, where the range of services was extended from assembly and storage to logistics with the construction of a new packing bay.

The HTD terminal features a heavy lift bay that measures 2,000 m² in size. The decision in favour of overhead travelling cranes was made at an early stage to ensure that the storage operation and other preparations for loading can be carried out in an environment protected from the weather. Weather-protection equipment such as a canopy for the open-winch units and a special paint finish for all components provide for smooth operation outdoors. Four of the pillars that support the crane runway stand in the harbour basin. The 95.3 m-long crane runway extends beyond the quayside, which makes it possible to handle heavy loads weighing up to 250 t at the berth. An onboard wind measuring device reports strong winds starting from wind strength 6 by means of acoustic and optical signals. The crane is then driven inside the protective bay within three minutes. A double-girder overhead travelling crane equipped with a DR 20 wire rope hoist that is rated for loads weighing up to 25 t operates on the crane runway at a height of 13.6 m. This crane performs the storage and retrieval operations in the bay and is used for loading and unloading railway wagons and trucks. If the installed crane capacity reaches its limits in some cases, duisport is well prepared for heavy lifting in the future. Components even weighing up to 500 t can be handled with the help of a mobile crane, which can be used on a special heavy load pallet.

A building complex, consisting of 3 bays, is a central feature of the Nordhafen sector. The new packing building was erected next to a 7,000 m² multi-function building. In an area measuring 5,000 m², components for complex industrial installations are prepared for further transport in the packing building. This building not only extends the possibilities for storing goods; its in-house crane capacities and the protected storage area also enable semi-finished and finished parts to be assembled and maintained. Two bridge cranes are installed in each of the three bays. A double-girder overhead travelling crane fitted with two 50 t hoist units travels in the first part of the building. By operating the hoists in tandem, this crane can also be used for transporting long materials. A 25 t ZKKE double-girder overhead travelling crane with a span of 22,000 mm also travels on the same runway. It offers lifting speeds from 0.3 to 5.3 m/min, cross-travel motions from 5 to 25 m/min and long-travel motions from 5 to 60 m/min. The 175 m-long crane runway in this building in the Nordhafen area also extends into the harbour basin. This enables ships to be loaded and unloaded direct and the area between the quay wall and the building can be fully utilized for storage. Both of the adjacent building areas are each equipped with identical 25 t double-girder overhead travelling cranes. Access for trucks was provided at the side of the building – parallel to the harbour basin – to allow goods to be loaded and unloaded on shore direct inside the building. The railway track passes through the building and ends at the quayside, which also facilitates trimodal handling in the Nordhafen sector.