Dutch firm builds world's strongest crane to handle massive energy infra

By William Mathis

A Dutch company has erected the world’s strongest crane to help meet soaring demand for massive new energy infrastructure — including giant wind turbines.

The crane, built by heavy lifting firm Mammoet for tens of millions of dollars, is among the latest bets that rising energy consumption will require huge new equipment for years to come. Workers raised the crane’s boom — the hydraulic arm — at the company’s Westdorpe site near the Belgian border this week, and will soon test the machine before it starts work next year.

The global energy transition will need a tremendous ramp-up in a range of infrastructure, including cables, specialized vessels and other equipment. Any shortages in those areas could delay or undermine government goals to curb carbon emissions in the fight against climate change.

“There are so many supply chain constraints at the moment that need to be de-bottlenecked,” said Gavin Kerr, Mammoet’s director of global services. “The bigger everything gets, you need bigger cranes.”

The SK6000 is strong enough to lift 6,000 tons. That’s roughly equal to some 1,100 adult African elephants, almost 500 double decker buses or 15 fully loaded Boeing 747 jumbo jets.
 

Mammoet is a major player in the niche market to provide such cranes to massive construction projects around the world. After testing, the SK6000 will be taken apart and shipped to consecutive work sites. The workers who helped develop the machine may never even see it again in their home country.

The company expects to offer the crane’s services to a variety of energy producers. That includes offshore wind developers using increasingly large turbines that are now taller than some buildings. A potential renaissance in new nuclear power plants — which require installing huge pieces of equipment on reactors — could also be a source of new demand. 

It will also enable the construction of larger vessels that are used to produce, store and offload oil, natural gas and liquefied natural gas.

The crane may the first in a series, Kerr said. While Mammoet hasn’t yet decided whether to go ahead with additional cranes, it has done so with other types in the past, and the SK6000 was designed to be easily replicated, he said.