Konecranes has won an order from the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems shipyard to supply 14 process cranes for a shipbuilding hall now being built in Kiel, Germany.

The value of the order was not disclosed.

The double-girder crane systems, which will be built by Konecranes' Demag Cranes & Components unit, will be installed in the new production halls in Kiel, which is being developed into an international centre of excellence for submarine production. The cranes will have been manufactured, delivered and commissioned by the time work begins in 2023.

The cranes will come with numerous features to increase performance, service life and, in particular, precision. These include optimised rope lead-off on the hoists (to extend the service life of the hoist ropes), extended monitoring of the hoist brake (to improve safety), electronic overload protection with a load spectrum recorder (to determine the remaining service life of the hoists) and 24/7 online support.

Thomas Bönker, senior vice president for process cranes at Konecranes, says: "This is a demanding project, with the high travel and positioning accuracy of the cranes required, for example, when two submarine segments weighing over 100 T each have to be precisely positioned by two cranes and four travelling hoist units to assemble the hull. We are pleased to support thyssenkrupp Marine Systems with our process crane technology for this exciting and forward-looking project."