Equipment manufacturer Liebherr is establishing an African maritime hub in Durban to ensure that its Africa-based clients receive the same level of service as could be expected when dealing with the head office in Europe, Liebherr-Africa maritime crane division manager Henner Rodenwoldt tells Mining Weekly.

Rodenwoldt says the hub will be operational by the end of the year, adding that the company believes the hub is well placed, as mining companies need adequate infrastructure to ship mineral resources and equipment into and out of the adjacent countries.

“The African maritime hub holds significant spare parts stock, which will service a large part of the African market. The new hub will feature two separate classrooms for operator and technical training, as well as service training on Liebherr’s crane solutions.

“The hub is also equipped with simulators, which are installed in a fully furnished 40-foot container featuring an integrated training room, a utility room and an associated instructor station. The container is fitted with an air- conditioning unit and appropriate lighting,” highlights Rodenwoldt.

Africa-Based Projects
In February, Liebherr completed the installation of a fixed cargo crane, the FCC 230, at Australian mining company Centamin’s Sukari gold mine, in Egypt.

The crane was delivered in August 2013 – one year after Liebherr was awarded the contract – while assembly and commissioning of the crane was completed in December 2013.

The FCC 230 is installed on a fixed pedestal and is being used for the maintenance of Centamin’s on-site stone crusher. It is also being used to assist in lifting old bore heads from where they are operating – 10 m underground – to the surface to replace them with new ones. Each bore head weighs up to 35 t.

“Our FCC 230 fixed cargo crane distinguishes itself through its high level of reliability and low level of maintenance requirements, despite the extreme working climate. It also requires little energy to work, which confirms the crane’s excellent cost and performance ratio, providing the appropriate solution for work at the Sukari gold mine,” says Rodenwoldt.

The FCC 230 has a 55 t capacity at an outreach of 17 m and a 35 t capacity at an outreach of 25 m, which will support mining operators in carrying out quick and safe maintenance processes to retain productivity at the facility.

Rodenwoldt further highlights that Liebherr recently received an order for 20 LHM mobile harbour cranes from a port operators purchasing association in Algeria.

He explains that the purchasing association, which comprises seven Algerian port companies, decided to invest in innovative and high- quality port equipment. The LHMs will be delivered to various destinations on the Algerian coast for the different companies.

Rodenwoldt adds that the crane fleet will include the handling of general cargo, dry bulk and containers. All 20 LHMs will be operational in 2014. “The cranes have always been popular in Algeria, with the first units delivered to the country about 20 years ago,” he says, adding that 13 LHMs are operating in South Africa and that Liebherr mobile harbour cranes are being used is in more than 15 African countries.

Transnet Project
Rodenwoldt tells Mining Weekly that Liebherr-Africa delivered four ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and 18 rubber-tyre gantry (RTG) cranes to South African State-owned freight and logistics group Transnet Port Terminals in March.

The STS cranes have an outreach of 65 m, a span of 30.48 m and a back reach of 19 m. The cranes have a lift height of 41 m and can lift a 65 t load under a twin-lift spreader.

The STS cranes have been upgraded to handle the new line of 18 000 twenty-foot equivalent unit container vessels, with a cross reach of up to 24 rows. Rodenwoldt says the RTG cranes will span seven containers and a truck lane, and can stack up to five containers.

“The RTG crane features a differential global positioning system, as well as autosteering and container-location recognition systems. The RTG cranes have also been fitted with an ultrasonic anticollision system and a camera for enhanced safety,” he concludes.