Wm. O’Brien’s First Australian Project in Queensland on Liebherr Container Crane

Assembly of the first ship-to-shore crane purchased by the Port of Townsville in North-eastern Queensland since the 1970s is now underway. “Contractors from Townsville-based Universal Cranes will support the assembly, which will take several months, and include positioning the crane on the wharf and completing a series of safety and operational checks,” said Marissa Wise, Port of Townsville Infrastructure and Environment General Manager .

The Liebherr Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore crane is the final component of the Port’s $30 million upgrade to its multi-user cargo handling facility. Once assembled, the crane will stand almost 100m high, dwarfing Townsville’s current tallest structure, the Grand Chancellor Hotel, by approximately 24m.

Painted in the Port of Townsville’s blue and gold corporate colours the crane will cut a striking figure on the city’s skyline.  It also offers superior handling ability, with the capability to lift two 20-foot shipping containers at once, equating to 70 tonnes.

International heavy lift contractors, Wm. O’Brien has announced that it has starting its first ever heavy lift project in Australia. The company is working with Liebherr Container Cranes on the construction of the ship to shore crane at the port which will take approximately 10 weeks to complete and will have 22 people working on site.

“We’re very proud to be working on our first ever heavy lift project in Australia. Time and again our team show their incredible flexibility, adaptability and problem-solving capabilities. Our customers recognise this as the perfect partnership mix to successfully deliver their projects around the world,” commented William O’Brien, Managing Director of Wm. O’Brien.

Once work is complete at the Port of Townsville, Wm. O’Brien will move to Brisbane for another Liebherr Container Crane STS project.

Featured Title photograph

A section of the crane being unloaded from the vessel in the port of Townsville. Photograph courtesy of the Port of Townsville

Source Wm. O’Brien and Port of Townsville