Crane goes gardening on mega-cruise ship

The 361m 16-deck ship, with space for more than 5,400 passengers and 2,100 crew, uses a Palfinger PK 150002 marine crane for transporting and planting trees. Its ‘Central Park’ themed area features a botanical garden, where more than 12,000 tropical plants flourish. The garden contains over 50 trees, countless palms and bamboo bushes. The crane was installed to help look after the trees and plants. It also assists with the exact positioning of palms in the pool landscapes.

Sister ship Oasis of the Seas was equipped with an identical crane in 2009. The PK 150002 has an outreach of 27m and a cable winch with a length of over 120m. To ensure that the daily gardening work proceeds smoothly the crew responsible for the Central Park received extensive training in crane operation in November 2010.