What is a floating crane:
A floating crane is a lifting device mounted on a floating platform.
What is the use of a floating crane?
Broadly speaking, floating cranes used for the following purposes:
1. Marine construction: ever so often the offshore industry needs to handle heavy-duty equipment at sea or offshore to put up offshore installations. Offshore installations include platforms, buoys, terminals, reclamation, pipe laying and dive support. Construction cranes are characterized by short to medium bases, long telescopic or extendable booms, anchoring winches to maintain position or even dynamic support and propulsion systems. The focus is on maneuverability, reach and close quarter work.
2. Cargo transshipment: due to the economy of scale of using larger ships cargo transshipment is a favorite solution to avoid investment in Ports suitable to handle large ships. The basic principle being the bulk of the cargo is transported by a mother vessel which is not suitable to enter a port. Smaller vessels then carry out and shipment operations to facilitate the cargo being delivered/loaded through the port. A floating crane is used for transferring the cargo from one ship to another. The focus is on handling maximum amount of cargo at maximum outreach. Transshipment cranes usually have tall bases, long booms high stability and low maneuverability. They are usually towed from one location to another.
How to find out the difference between the cargo transshipment floating crane and a Marine construction floating crane?
Usually, cargo transshipment floating cranes have stronger build, more stability and load chart which shows a constant safe working load at different boom angles. Although it is well-known that crane lifting capacities change made at various angles A transshipment Crane would display the same minimum load to load handling capacity at all boom angle variations. However, a Marine construction crane would be light, maneuverable, mobile. The load chart would show the maximum lifting capacity varying with different angles of the boom.
