Dutch company Mammoet turned its ambitious plans into reality by building the world’s strongest onshore ring crane, the SK6000. A key component of this crane—the gear ring rope winch—was supplied by Liebherr, enabling the SK6000 to lift exceptionally heavy loads.
The SK6000 ring crane is not only the world’s strongest onshore crane but also the highest-capacity electric crane. Like other cranes in Mammoet’s SK series, the SK6000 operates entirely on electricity, enabling customers to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of their projects. A key feature of the crane is its four gear ring rope winches, each with a rope pull of 600 kN, which together allow it to lift a maximum load of 6,000 tonnes.
Close Collaboration and Comprehensive Supply
For this project, Mammoet leveraged the vast expertise of Liebherr’s drive technology team and the renowned quality of Liebherr components. A strong, long-standing partnership between the two companies played a vital role in the process. From the outset, there was a focus on close collaboration in designing the rope winches, with direct communication and swift coordination during the design and calculation stages. The winch design was tailored to meet the crane’s specific technical requirements, including its impressive lifting capabilities and compact dimensions, which allow the winches to be transported in shipping containers for global deployment. “Mammoet also utilized Liebherr’s extensive components portfolio, equipping the large winches with Liebherr’s own gear rings, gearboxes, and electric motors,” said Markus Groeber, Technical Sales Engineer at Liebherr Drive Technology.
Impressive Technical Specifications
The SK6000’s technical capabilities are remarkable: it has a maximum lifting capacity of 6,000 tonnes and can lift components weighing up to 3,000 tonnes to a height of 220 meters. The crane boasts a maximum slewing radius of 59 meters and a main boom length of up to 171 meters. With a fixed jib attachment, it reaches an impressive total lifting height of 274 meters, far surpassing any other crane on the market.
As a fully electric, shore-based crane, the SK6000 is designed to perform tasks such as placing floating wind turbine foundations onto ships and assembling entire wind turbines from the quayside. By minimizing the need for crane movements and reconfigurations, this mega crane will significantly improve the efficiency of large-scale industrial projects.