deugro Germany delivered three mobile harbor cranes and one portal crane from Rostock, Germany to Brisbane and Port Kembla, in Australia, as well as to Timaru and Port Nelson, in New Zealand.
The cranes, with volumes of up to 70.15 x 28.05 x 45.30 meters and weights of over 600 metric tons, resulted in an overall volume of 238,160.610 cubic meters and a total weight of more than 2,000 metric tons. To safely ship the oversized and heavy lift components, deugro’s Chartering team selected and secured the UHL Fable, a new F900 Eco-Lifter class vessel built in 2024, which has a main engine certified to IMO Tier III standards and that performed its second ocean voyage with this transport.
“Most challenging was the complexity of the loading and lashing arrangements encompassing different crane types—two LHM 550s, an LPS 550 and an LHM 600—with varying volumes and shapes on the one hand and limited deck space for maneuvering and load securing on the other hand,” said Christine Steenken, Head of Projects at deugro Germany.
To safely and efficiently load, stow and the secure all cranes onto the same vessel, deugro involved dteq Transport Engineering Solutions (dteq). Their engineers reviewed the carrier’s technical documentation such as the method statement, including lifting/rigging plans, stowage plans and seafastening calculations, prior to execution and were responsible for the stowage and lashing surveys. With two marine transport engineers on site, they personally supervised each step of the operations, while a further master mariner and transport engineer in the back office took care of the reviews and any clarifications between the carrier and the manufacturer.
“The tight stowage on strictly limited space—including the laydown of crane booms onto container towers, the application of lashing chains at height or the use of a flat rack solution for the lashing of the LPS crane—required meticulous preparation as well as precise operations, teamwork and attention. Every step of the operation must be in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved and the safety of the cargo,” said Sorour Elagami, Marine Transport Engineer at dteq Germany.
“Thanks to the detailed technical preparation and coordination as well as the close communication and coordination between all partners, all four cranes were safely and timely delivered according to schedule and budget,” said Christine Steenken, Head of Projects at deugro Germany.
