The mobile harbour cranes that fell from heavy lift vessel Jumbo Vision in Rostock harbour basin B on 31 January are to be recovered with the Hebo Lift 9. This floating crane is to leave Rotterdam on 19 February weather permitting and will arrive in Rostock in five days’ time when the salvage operation will commence.

With a lifting capacity of 800 tonnes and a lifting height of 67 metres, the Hebo Lift 9, owned by Hebo Maritiem Service based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is one of the most powerful of its kind.

Preparatory work for the salvage operation has already begun. An important task will be the recovery of the two lattice masts, each about 50 metres long and weighing 35 tonnes. This part of the project will be carried out by the Baltic Lift floating crane, which has a maximum lifting capacity of 200 tonnes.

The oil barrier for the upcoming work will be relocated accordingly and the areas on the quay at berth 25 will be prepared. Here, the sunken mobile harbour cranes will later be placed once recovered. These measures effectively use the time until the arrival of the Hebo Lift 9 so that the cranes can then be recovered quickly and safely.

According to current planning, the entire salvage should be completed by the end of February. The Liebherr company is responsible for the recovery process.

Cranes fell after being loaded on Jumbo Vision

The cranes fell into the water after being loaded on board Jumbo Maritime’s heavy lift vessel Jumbo Vision on 31 January. There was an oil spill from the cranes. Over the past weeks divers have been emptying the hydraulic oil and diesel tanks of the cranes to prevent any further spill. This was completed on 10 February. The investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing.

Picture: The Hebo Lift 9 (by Rostock presse/HEBO Maritiem Service).

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