Huisman has developed a lightweight type crane for the maintenance of offshore wind turbines: the 'Foldable Offshore Crane'.
The Huisman ‘Foldable Offshore Crane’ is capable of exchanging WTG components to around 160 metres above deck level from a small jack-up (JU vessel length of +/-70 metres). The boom of the crane is foldable which results in a smaller footprint when in storage position. In addition, the folding mechanism leads to a lighter crane compared to conventional cranes. By slightly tilting the knuckle, extra boom clearance is created. This simplifies lifting of large loads and reduces the required boom length to reach above the middle of a nacelle. The crane can be retrofitted on existing jack-ups.