Damen completes keel laying for crane barge

The barge is being built at Damen Yichang Shipyard in Hubei Province, China. The 75 by 32 metre Crane Barge will replace a 77-year old crane still in operation. Following construction, the new Crane Barge 7532 will be outfitted with a crane at Huisman’s Zhangzhou facility, giving it the capability to lift 625 tonnes at 25 metres.

After the crane installation, the vessel will cross the Pacific on a heavy lift vessel and arrive at the anchorage area of Balboa in Panama for final tests before it enters service.

“We are delighted to be part of this important project,” said Damen sales manager, Americas Olivier van Papenrecht. “It is a real honour for us that this client has placed trust in Damen. We are confident that the Crane Barge 7532, with its Huisman crane, will serve the client’s needs. The barge has been designed as a high-quality product with safety and reliability top of mind – the ingredients needed to maintain the flow of trade through this internationally important region,” he added.

Damen is implementing safety controls to deal with the challenges that Covid-19 brings. Engineers are currently working from home and using digital communication. Additional safety measures include a cleaning and sterilisation programme, body temperature controls on entering the yard and the observation of safe working distance guidelines.