The global heavy lifting and specialised transport sector continues to evolve at pace, driven by new partnerships, acquisitions, fleet investments and engineering breakthroughs. From strategic alliances that strengthen international project capabilities to innovative equipment launches redefining lifting solutions, industry players are positioning themselves to meet the growing demands of energy, infrastructure and industrial development worldwide. Here we highlight developments that are shaping the sector.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Starting with collaborations, Japanese heavy lift and specialised transport services provider Denzai has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Italian heavy lifting and transport company provider Fagioli. The strategic partnership agreement is to collaborate on heavy lifting and heavy transport projects worldwide.
The partnership is designed to enable both companies to jointly pursue project opportunities while strategically sharing equipment, expertise, and other operational resources to enhance efficiency and expand global service capabilities.
“We believe that our business alliance with Fagioli, one of the world’s leading heavy transport companies, will create new value that contributes to greater efficiency in our clients’ projects around the globe,” says Kohki Uemura, President & CEO at Denzai. “Fagioli has a strong business presence in the United States, Europe, and Australia. This partnership offers geographical advantages, and we believe it will generate synergies through the sharing of customer networks.”
“The fundamental benefit of this partnership is for our present and future customers,” says Fernando Bertoni, CEO at Fagioli. “For select projects, they will gain access to the best of both worlds: Denzai’s cranes, expertise, and resources across Asia and the Middle East, and Fagioli’s heavy lifting, transport and engineering experience in Europe and North America.”
Global logistics company Aprojects has signed a strategic partnership with Korean logistics company KCTC.
According to Aprojects the collaboration strengthens the company’s combined ability to support large-scale LNG and nuclear projects across key global corridors. By aligning KCTC’s dedicated heavy lift vessel capacity with Aprojects’ expertise in complex cargo coordination, the two companies aim to offer fully integrated solutions for the safe and efficient transport of oversized, high-risk components.
“The new strategic partnership is aimed at enhancing logistic capabilities for large scale LNG and nuclear projects across key global corridors,” says CCO Eric Clonen. “This means leveraging KCTC’s specialised heavy lift vessel fleet and technical marine solutions alongside Aprojects’ project cargo coordination. Together we’re able to streamline supply chains involving extreme oversize modules, critical components, and high-risk cargo.
“In this partnership we have a dedicated vessel capacity where KCTC will allocate priority tonnage including semi-submersible and heavy lift geared vessels matched also with integrated project teams from Aprojects where joint engineering and project management teams will ensure a seamless end-to-end execution from port or construction yards to final site delivery.”
Sarens has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with three companies – logistics service provider CMS, machine skates and hydraulic toe-jacks specialist HTSD, and air, sea, and road transportation company Tagi Logistics, to establish a strategic partnership designed to advance logistics, heavy transportation, and installation solutions in Cambodia.
The collaboration aims to support key sectors such as wind energy, LNG, oil and gas, and infrastructure, aligning with Cambodia’s industrial development and energy transition goals. Through this partnership Sarens and its allies plan to combine their expertise to deliver transport solutions tailored to the region’s evolving needs.
“This partnership is not just about combining capabilities,” says Aseem Bhateja, regional director for Sarens in Southeast Asia, “it is about creating a seamless and integrated approach to support Cambodia’s ambitious energy transition and infrastructure development. Together, we will bring unparalleled expertise to major wind energy projects while expanding our services across LNG, oil and gas, onshore plants, and infrastructure sectors.”
COMPANY ACQUISITION
Wels, Austria-headquartered lifting and transport specialist Felbermayr has acquired the company Jozef Hermans with four sites in Holland. The family-run niche provider operates in the field of industrial relocations, primarily in Germany and the Netherlands. Felbermayr says the move strengthens its standing in Western Europe.
With the acquisition Felbermayr’s fleet expands by around a dozen cranes, numerous trucks, several lifting and hoisting systems, as well as self-propelled units and semi-trailers. “We have electric, remote-controlled forklift trucks, pick and carry cranes, transport rollers, flat transport carriages and telescopic hydraulic gantry systems that can lift, move or tilt machinery and objects weighing up to 1,100 tonnes in their entirety – and in the tightest of spaces,” says Jos Hermans, who took over the family-owned company as managing director in 2007 and will continue to be managing director. “We will benefit from Felbermayr’s large network throughout Europe and especially Eastern Europe. There are opportunities for synergy between our assembly teams.”
“The wide range of assembly equipment, electrically powered pick and carry cranes, and lifting frames, not to mention decades of experience in heavy installation and the company’s geographical location on the Dutch-German border, including a heavy goods warehouse, complement the Felbermayr Group’s service portfolio perfectly,” says Peter Stöttinger, managing director of Felbermayr Transport and Lifting Technology. “We will then work together to identify the markets in which we want to drive growth.”
The signing of the takeover contract took place on 14 May 2025. The two companies, however, were legally acquired with effect from 1 January 2025.
FLEET EXPANSION
Indiana-USA headquartered heavy lifting and specialised transport equipment rental, sales and service specialist Engineered Rigging has expanded its rental fleet with the acquisition of a new Enerpac JS250 Jack-Up System. The JS250 is a multi-point, fully automated, synchronous system that can lift, lower and hold loads.
An individual JS250 jack-up unit has a lifting capacity of 275 tonnes and lifts from a starting height of under five feet (1.475m) to almost 33 feet (10m). As the hydraulic system incrementally lifts the load, the mechanical barrels are slid into the stack and used to hold the load. Several attributes distinguish the JS250 from other alternative lifting equipment. It is a computer-controlled system with single operator control optimising lifting safety and repeatability. It has self-contained hydraulics in each jack-up unit designed for optimal control and an uncluttered worksite. The JS250 has an adjustable locking top barrel that minimises setup time by allowing precise system height adjustment. It also has a compact footprint that enables lifting in limited space. Its incremental lifting functionality allows mechanical lockout at 19.7 inches (500mm) intervals during the lifting cycle, while the maximum controlled lifting speed is 13 ft. (4m) per hour.
A typical setup for a jack-up system includes four units – one positioned under each corner of a load. Barrels are slid into the system to form ‘lifting towers’ and automated computer controls are used to elevate the load to the desired height. The load can be held in place mechanically by the jack-up system or lowered as required by removing barrels.
According to Engineered Rigging the power, compact footprint, and ease of use of the JS250 makes it an ideal solution for projects of all sizes and complexities including bridge construction and maintenance, modular construction, industrial maintenance, machinery moves, the lifting lowering and levelling of heavy structures and buildings, and load transfers from temporary steel works.
“Engineered Rigging continually invests in cutting-edge technology to provide our clients with the most effective and reliable solutions on the market, enabling their teams to self-perform heavy lifting operations,” says Mike Beres, vice president of Engineered Rigging.
Italian heavy lift specialist, Marraffa has also invested in an Enerpac JS-250 jack-up system which it plans to use for bridge launching projects. It is the company’s first Enerpac heavy lift system.
Marraffa provides heavy lift, specialised transport and industrial handling services both nationally and internationally.
“The Enerpac Jack-up system is an important addition to our heavy lift fleet and in keeping with our commitment to providing creative and cost-effective solutions,” says Pasquale Marraffa, head of purchasing at Marraffa. “It gives us the flexibility to take on projects in space restricted construction sites, as well as the stability to lift loads up to 1000 tonnes even during windy conditions where we couldn’t use a crane.”
Hamburg, Germany-based global shipping company Dship Carriers is expanding its fleet with eight LS 250 heavy-lift ship cranes from manufacturer Liebherr for installation on four of its newest vessels. According to Liebherr, the design and low deadweight of the cranes means they can be easily integrated on any type of ship.
The LS 250 cranes have a lifting capacity of up to 250 tonnes and a maximum outreach of 36 metres. The cranes’ hydraulics are housed in pipes and its crane column is fully enclosed; this is designed to protect the components inside the crane in harsh environments, reducing downtime and maintenance costs due to premature ageing of components.
The eight cranes are currently being manufactured at Liebherr’s Rostock site. In 2026 they will be delivered to a Chinese shipyard where they will be mounted on the four ships and will be in use worldwide from 2026.
CONTRACT WIN
Heavy lift and transport specialist Mammoet has been awarded the contract to help support Groupe Construction Pomerleau-Canam (GCPC) with the renovation of the new roof for the Olympic stadium in Montreal, Canada. The heavy-lift specialist will support demolition of the old roof and installation of the new one.
GCPC is a consortium of companies comprising Pomerleau and Groupe Canam. It was awarded the contract to replace the existing roof with a new fixed structure, which will have transparent glass to allow natural light to fill the stadium.
Mammoet, with GCPC’s other partners, will provide mobile cranes to support with the demolition of the old roof. It will then use its Mega Jack 5200 system to lift the new canopy 50 metres in the air and install it in place.
The Mega Jack is a large jacking system that uses beams loaded at ground level.
Six Mega Jack towers will be used to perform the lift. Besides the Mega Jack system, strand jacks will be used to stabilise the roof as it is raised.
Mammoet has also designed special final adjustment devices to sit on the top of each lifting tower. Taking the form of miniature skidding tracks these allow precision positioning of the roof once it is at the required height.
The roof will stay raised on the jacking systems for a period of two months. This is to allow final installation work to happen, such as attaching with cables to the stadium’s famous 550 feet inclined tower (La Tour de Montréal).
Much of this operation will be managed through Mammoet’s Canada East subsidiary, which employs close to 500 heavy lifting and transport experts across Ontario and Quebec.
“We are thrilled that Mammoet can play a key role in the renovation of this iconic stadium,” says Justin Hope, project manager at Mammoet.
OFFSHORE-RELATED
WORK Polish heavy lift contractor Ms Industry used an Enerpac SBL1100 hydraulic gantry for the installation of two transformers at the Baltic Power substation, part of the Baltic Power Offshore Wind development. The gantry allowed precise positioning of the transformers each weighing 354 tonnes.
The 13.5m long transformers, measuring 5.3m wide and 4.8m high, were transported to the installation site using SPMTs. They were then unloaded using the gantry.
After lifting the transformers clear of the SPMT they were skidded along the gantry’s seven metre skid track to position their wheels in line with a pre-laid installation track. Using the gantry’s Intelli-Lift wireless control system, the operator was able to raise and lower the gantry header beam and side shift units to position and gently lower the transformers onto the installation track.
The Baltic Power wind farm, located about 23km offshore Poland, will have a generating capacity of up to 1.2 GW when completed in 2026. Energy generated by the turbines will be transported via export cables to an onshore substation that’s currently under construction.
“Space limitations and the unsuitability of using a crane given the variable ground conditions made the Enerpac SBL1100 gantry the ideal solution,” said Robert Samczyk, CEO, Ms Industry. “The combination of vertical and horizontal movements using the operator’s wireless control system gave us the precision we needed to place the transformer in the installation track.”
The SBL1100 is Enerpac’s highest capacity hydraulic telescopic gantry. Equipped with three stage lifting cylinders, the SBL1100 lifts up to 12m at the top of the third stage and can handle up to 10,484 kN at the top of the first stage.
Lankhorst Ropes has supplied high capacity, ultra-heavy lift slings to Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit for the transportation and lowering of a 7,300 tonne jacket for a converter platform for the German offshore project BorWin 5. The Lankhorst Gama 98 slings held the jacket in position above the stern of the Pioneering Spirit for the two-day journey to the installation site.
Lankhorst heavy lift slings are an integral part of the Pioneering Spirit’s Jacket Lifting System for platform installation and decommissioning projects. The eight 25m endless slings use a Gama98 Ultra Heavy Lift rope construction. The ropes were manufactured in Portugal to a length tolerance of +/- 1.5%. The Pioneering Spirit’s jacket lift system features six blocks to guide the slings; each block is equipped with two endless sling constructions. Ahead of the BorWin 5 project, the slings were proof loaded according to DNV-ST-N001.
After the BorWin 5 offshore wind energy project, the Lankhorst slings will be used by the Pioneering Spirit for future installation and decommissioning projects, each having a different load profile during lifting and subsequent transportation. The slings will be used to lift and transport jackets.
Over the past decade Lankhorst says it has progressively built industry confidence in the reuse of heavy lift slings. “Today we have a proven fatigue performance model for the assessment of a sling’s lifetime together with the development of safe and reliable engineered lifting plans,” says Marcel van der Molen, sales director, Lankhorst Ropes. “Lankhorst’s ability to manufacture slings to a consistent and repeatable length accuracy has been fundamental to establishing confidence in our fatigue performance modelling.”
Middlesborough, UKheadquartered modular spreader beams and frames manufacturer MultiSec, in collaboration with lifting and handling equipment manufacturer Durham Lifting, has launched one of the largest C-Hooks ever made. It is designed to lift some of the largest monopile sections (cans and cones) in the world –measuring up to 4.2 metres length, 15.5 metres in diameter, and weighing up to 125 tonnes. MultiSec will supply the C-hook to offshore monopile manufacturer SeAH Wind.
MultiSec’s C-Hook design is different to traditional designs – which only allow single directional tilt adjustment. By incorporating a dual gantry crane system into the hook itself, with motorised counterweights that can travel to either side of the lifting point, the hook can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise. This means the same hook can be used to lift a range of cans and cones for offshore wind monopiles with varying sizes and centre of gravity.
In addition, for added strength and safety, MultiSec has ensured that the hook’s mechanical load path avoids transferring primary loads through welds.
According to MultiSec the scale and strength of the C-hook reflect its commitment to pushing the boundaries of lifting technology. The new C-hook attracted the attention of the Mayor of Middlesbrough, Chris Cooke, who visited MultiSec’s premises to see it in person. Multisec says that his visit celebrates not only a major achievement in heavy lifting innovation but also the strength and capability of local manufacturing in Teesside.
Together, all these developments showcase a sector that is both expanding and innovating – leveraging collaboration, advanced technology, and specialist expertise to tackle ever more complex projects. As energy transition, infrastructure growth and offshore expansion continue to accelerate worldwide the heavy lifting industry is adapting with new tools, stronger alliances, and smarter solutions – reaffirming the industry’s pivotal role in building the foundations of the future – one lift at a time.
3600-TONNE LNG COMPRESSOR INSTALLATION BY ALEVR UTILISES ENERPAC EVO SYSTEM
Alevro, a joint venture between Australian engineering services provider Monadelphous, and Italian heavy lift specialist Fagioli, has used an Enerpac EVO System for the synchronous jack-down of three 3600-tonne LNG compressors at the Pluto LNG onshore facility near Karratha in Western Australia (WA).
Pluto Train 2 will process gas from the Scarborough natural gas field located in the Carnarvon Basin, approximately 375km off the coast of WA. Upon completion, Pluto Train 2 will have an LNG capacity of ~5 million tonnes per annum.
Alevro transported the LNG compressors from the quayside via Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) and, using a jack-down process, lowered the compressors onto the foundations with the Enerpac EVO System.
The sheer size and weight of compressors meant that pre-planning was critical for the project. Each compressor is approximately 63m long, 30m wide and 30m high.
The site was prepared with a ground level concrete slab with an array of anchor points. 44 Enerpac climbing jacks were utilised, with each stack standing at 1.2 metres. The stacks were topped by 500mm of climbing jack frames, each holding Enerpac 250T jacks. The entire jack-down process was operated by two Enerpac EVO power packs, each operating 24 jacks on 12 hydraulic lines with a power requirement of only 7.5kw.
To avoid clashes with the module structure a bespoke design was created for the jacking frames. “Our first task was to perform the load in operation of the compressor module via SPMT transfer, and then transporting it from the quayside to the prepared on-site foundations which involved 168 Axle lines of SPMTs and eight powerpacks,” says Tomasz Milewski, engineering manager at Alevro.
Massimiliano Vettrici, operations manager at Alevro, led the execution of the overall operation. “Testing the jack-down system was crucial in building confidence for the next stage of the compressor installation, where the Enerpac cylinders would bear the full weight of the compressor module,” he says. “Additionally, we paid particular attention to module alignment while on SPMTs, as we did not anticipate any movement during the lowering phase, given the numerous jacking points.
“The load transfer from SPMTs to Climbing Jacks utilised the Enerpac EVO ‘tilting mode’ to align the module with its behaviour onto the SPMTs hydraulic bed. The entire jack-down operation, using the Enerpac climbing jacks and EVO systems, went very smoothly. The successful installation of all compressor modules has now established the framework for future jack-downs.”
Alevro’s methodology and creative execution was recently recognised at the Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA) Awards, with the jack-down operation awarded ‘Best Innovation’ by the CICA judges and taking out the People’s Choice for innovation.
