Heavy lifting and transport company Mammoet has launched its SK6000, dubbed the world’s strongest land-based crane, which features a maximum capacity of 6,000 t.

“The SK6000 redefines the scale of human construction, allowing large energy and infrastructure projects to build from bigger pieces, in parallel – reaching first power sooner, and more cost-effectively,” said Mammoet.

According to the company, the SK6000 has a key role in offshore wind, where fast growth of components in recent years has led to supply chain issues. Lifting 3,000 t to a height of 220 m, the SK6000 ensures that wind farms in the planning phase today can be safely executed and delivered in the future.

In the oil and gas sector, the SK6000 provides reduced integration times for offshore floating projects, while onshore new build and expansion projects can be carried out with increased uptime. Both scopes then benefit from modular construction techniques that enable critical path components to be simultaneously built offsite anywhere in the world, before transporting to site ahead of installation.

Mammoet further highlighted that as more new-build nuclear plants are greenlit, the SK6000 also helps the sector to benefit from similar construction methodologies – helping projects to reach completion sooner and deliver low carbon energy to communities.

The SK6000 utilises 4,200 t of ballast to lift with a maximum ground bearing pressure of 30 t /sq m. The crane design uses containerisation techniques for ease of deployment, and can be transported using shipping containers to any location worldwide.

In addition, the SK6000 offers full electric power capability from battery or supply from the grid, allowing customers to reduce the carbon impact of projects significantly.

“This crane is truly a world record feat of engineering, with a production schedule to match”, said Gavin Kerr, director global services at Mammoet. “Hundreds of colleagues have been directly involved with its development across the business.

“There are very few companies on earth – if any – that could have brought this crane into reality, and we are immensely proud to be able to do so.”

The SK6000 is currently undergoing testing at Mammoet’s Westdorpe facility in the Netherlands, ready for deployment to its first project later in the year.