Lifting the Offshore Wind Industry to New Safety Levels

With a redesign of its well-proven fixed boom crane range (PF range), international technology company PALFINGER, headquartered in Salzburg (Austria), is responding to the latest safety requirements of the global offshore wind industry. The WindEnergy 2022 in Hamburg, Germany, marks the official launch of the enhanced crane range. 

Enhanced fixed boom crane range 

To improve safety and efficiency of customers’ lifting operations during regular maintenance of offshore wind turbines, PALFINGER has recently launched a range of fixed boom cranes with modular design and standardized outreach from 3 to 7m. From 27 to 30 September, a full-scale PF120-4 model is presented at the WindEnergy in Hamburg, the world's largest exhibition for the on- and offshore wind industry. 

The range was designed in accordance with the latest technical requirements of the European standard EN13852-3 for light offshore cranes. The crane plays an important role in lifting materials and equipment in the daily offshore wind business and closes the supply chain from the crew transfer vessel (CTV) to the offshore wind platform. Beyond its modular and compact design, every crane undergoes thorough function and load tests at the assembly plant before being delivered. This procedure ensures ‘plug and play delivery’ to the highest safety standard and minimized installation time. Above all, the simple and reliable solution comes with low maintenance requirements.  

“Because access to offshore wind farms is limited and every working hour must be efficiently used,  we’ve made the new PF cranes highly resistant to the harsh environmental conditions. Furthermore,  we reduced the maintenance effort to lower the life-cycle-costs for the wind park owner. The new crane range was designed based on more than fifteen years of installed base experience and feedback from service teams and our clients. It is therefore well-positioned for the future requirements of the global offshore wind industry”, says Franz Schnöll, Head of Global Marine  Product Management. 

Evolving with the offshore wind industry 

Ten years after PALFINGER developed its first marine crane, the company became firmly established within the offshore and wind industry. Following the delivery of the first cranes to leading  European companies in the field of renewable energy in 2004, PALFINGER MARINE has continued to successfully serve the global wind market with its well-proven cranes.

Today, it has provided the offshore wind business with lifting solutions all around the globe, from the USA to Asia, Great Britain, and many other offshore wind farms in Europe. One of the largest offshore wind projects that  PALFINGER MARINE is involved in is Seagreen, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm to-be.  Situated over 27 km from Scotland’s Angus coastline at its closest point, Seagreen will comprise 114  wind turbines and thus be capable of powering up to 1.3 million homes each year with low-carbon,  renewable energy. PALFINGER will supply a total of 114 PF20000-7 LDB fixed boom cranes, one for each turbine. 

Entering new markets

Recently, PALFINGER MARINE has entered a new fast-emerging hot spot for the global wind industry. In Vietnam, the company serves the first two intertidal wind farms Hiep Thanh and Binh Dai with 26 of its field-proven fixed boom cranes. “At PALFINGER, we recognized at an early stage how important it is to expand offshore wind capacities, both in Europe and worldwide. We are therefore constantly striving to enter new emerging markets to support the goal of climate neutrality”, states Gunther Fleck, Vice President Sales & Service Region Marine at PALFINGER. 

90 years of pioneering spirit, 30 years at sea 

With the renewed, state-of-the-art PF range, PALFINGER MARINE is all set to lift crane operations to the next safety and efficiency level. As one of the world’s leading producers and providers of innovative crane and lifting solutions, PALFINGER has been demonstrating pioneering spirit for 90 years. With around 12,000 employees, more than 30 manufacturing sites, and a worldwide sales and service network, the company guarantees optimal customer proximity. Three decades ago, the company founded PALFINGER MARINE. Ever since, PALFINGER MARINE has developed a  comprehensive portfolio of lifting solutions for the maritime and offshore industry.

This article is sponsored by PALFINGER Marine.