Rickmers-Linie ship Kirow cranes to China
9 December 2010Rickmers-Linie has shipped a number of Kirow railway cranes to China from the specialist Wallman terminal in Hamburg.
The firm holds a 25% stake in the breakbulk terminal, which specialises in the handling of out-of-gauge, heavy lift and project cargo.
The end of September saw three rail-mounted cranes, manufactured by Kirow AG, loaded on to the multipurpose Rickmers Jakarta vessel, set for travel to the Far East. The shipment was scheduled to arrive at the end of November at Xingang, China.
Kühne & Nagel in Markranstädt and Hamburg were involved in the transportation from Kirow’s Leipzig plant, Germany, via Hamburg to Xingang for the Chinese Ministry of Railways, which will use the cranes in a number of locations.
Each railway crane measures 19.5m in length and weighs 167USt, they can be combined to create a block train. Each unit is rated at 160USt and the individual cranes are able to move whilst loaded.
This transportation project forms part of a larger venture for the Chinese clients: 16 railway cranes were shipped to China between December 2009 and November 2010. Between 2006 and 2008, the firm transported Kirow railway cranes to China from Hamburg. Today some of these cranes are being used in Tibet at altitudes of around 5,000m and temperatures of minus 40°C.
