The PSA Breakbulk site in Antwerp has recently seen support . The new blue Liebherr LR 1750 heavy-lift crawler crane, towering high into the sky, can be seen from afar. The crane was in the spotlight on April 19, 2023, when it was officially inaugurated together with the launch of the new Project Cargo Ecosystem and even given its own name.
Normally, naming is reserved for ships. But the heavy lift crane provided by Felbermayr at the PSA Breakbulk terminal is so special to the site that it was given its own name at the inauguration ceremony. Big Felb was drawn by lot from the suggestions submitted in advance.
“The heavy lift crane is unique at this location and fills a gap in the handling of heavy loads and oversized cargoes between 200 and 750 tons,” explains Steven Degrauw of PSA Breakbulk. The crawler crane is mobile and can be used on the terminal. The maximum outreach is 84 m, and the maximum hook height is 105 m. To create the conditions for this giant, more than EUR 1.5 million was initially invested in a reinforced floor (floor pressure capacity 95 t/m²). The project was implemented together with HSL’s shareholder, the Felbermayr Group, which specializes in installations and operation of heavy cranes.
Big Felb is highly requested at the terminal, often remaining in operation until 11pm. One of the first orders consists of handling 90 components with weights between 20 and 380 t from various special vehicles onto the heavy-lift vessel GPO Grace. These are destined for the first wind farm to be built in the USA.
One-stop shopping with the Project Cargo Ecosystem
The new crane is part of the concept to develop the terminal into an integrated logistics hub for major projects. Under the name Project Cargo Ecosystem, the terminal will become a One-Stop-Shop for industry partners. These can obtain all the services they need to support their major projects from a single source. This includes handling, storage, consolidation, pre-assembly and other value-added services. “The Eco in the Project Cargo Ecosystem product name stands for both the preferred industries from the renewable energy and sustainability sectors that we want to reach with our service and the claim that our activities at the terminal are environmentally conscious,” explains Degrauw.
Heiko Brückner, CEO of Haeger & Schmidt Logistics, adds: “We are pleased that we have been able to strengthen the project and heavy lift expertise at PSA Breakbulk since the establishment of our joint venture two years ago. Thanks to the investments in specially equipped halls and the Felbermayr heavy lift crane, we can offer our customers at the PSA Breakbulk terminal a One-Stop-Shop that is unique in Antwerp. The complementary services of our joint venture partners allow us to develop new integrated transport solutions under the Project Cargo Ecosystem label.”
“Floating giga-socket” project
A successfully completed project impressively demonstrates that the new concept and the investments in specialization at the Antwerp site are taking hold. Recently, a gigantic platform for wind energy was assembled at the PSA Breakbulk site and prepared for sea transport. The unit even has its own name: Baltic Eagle. In the future, the giga-socket will bundle the energy from wind turbines in the German Baltic Sea and supply 475,000 households with green electricity.
PSA Breakbulk provided terminal handling, execution of the necessary technical work and material supply for about 100 contractors. After about two weeks, the 4,550-ton, five-storey giga-socket was ready for shipment.
In view of its enormous weight, the wind energy platform could only be launched at high tide, and the shipping channel on the Scheldt was briefly closed to other shipping traffic. It then took about another week for the Baltic Eagle to be anchored at its destination about 30 km off the German Baltic coast.