On Sunday 30th May, 2021 around 0945 hrs the 170 ton $55 million KONECRANES 38 known to local residents as THE BIG BLUE CRANE departed Manitowoc, Wisconsin towed.
According to the Department of Transport (DOT), crane construction supported $55 million in revenue locally and is expected to grow $65 million annually. With plans to build cranes rated for 175-ton loads, Konecranes, a branch of the International Port Cranes, Co., expects to hire 15 additional workers. Steve Waisanen, vice president of industrial equipment for Konecranes, said during a press conference that several factors make Manitowoc an attractive place to build giant cranes. Connection to the St. Lawrence Seaway through the Great Lakes to make it to the Atlantic Ocean; Broadwind, a large fabricator, near its facility; a deep canal near Broadwind that allows the large loads to be transported completely by water; a good workforce and state financial assistance to improve the harbor, which included support piles driven 75 feet into bedrock to carry a rail platform.
Working with Broadwind, Konecranes began about a year ago to build the 160-foot crane. It’s part of a larger contract Konecranes won through the U.S. Department of Defense to build cranes to lift submarines, cargo ships, warships and other naval vessels. It also has similar contracts with the Army Corps of Engineers to build several large cranes.
She is being towed by the 1983 built tug SARAH DANN, a former Tidewater owned tug.
Featured photos are by our correspondent Mr. Nathan Attard. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos –www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Saturday 26th June, 2021
