Mammoet Unveils the World’s Largest Ring Crane, SK6000

Mammoet, a global leader in engineered heavy lifting solutions, has unveiled the “world’s strongest land-based crane,” the SK6000, whose fabrication and production have been underway since April 2023 at its Dutch headquarters.

The giant ring crane, which will operate entirely on electric power, has a capacity of 6,000 tonnes. It has a main mast length of up to 171.5 metres. With the fixed jib attachment, it can achieve a total lifting height of 273.4 metres.

The crane can lift 3,000 metric tonnes to a height of 219.5 metres, allowing project managers to transport bigger components more efficiently in offshore floating projects as well as onshore construction and expansion initiatives.

“Both scopes then benefit from modular construction techniques that allow critical path components to be simultaneously built offsite anywhere in the world, before transporting to site ahead of installation,” the company said in a press release.

To ease transportation, the crane uses shipping containers filled with sand and gravel as counterweights. Its ballast stack consists of over 40 containers, amounting to a total weight of 4,200 metric tonnes.

The SK6000 can be shipped anywhere in the world using shipping containers. It also offers full electric power capability, operating on battery or supplied from the grid.

The crane is being tested in Westdorpe, Netherlands, ahead of its first project.

The ring crane is expected to set a new standard in global heavy lifting capacity by enabling clients to build heavier and bigger components than ever before.

It will employ similar design principles and lifting techniques used in its predecessor, the SK350, with which it shares the same engineering DNA.

Indeed, much of the SK6000’s technology has been successfully deployed on several project sites around the world.  

Offshore wind farms

According to Mammoet, the ring crane is designed to operate on next-generation offshore wind farms, allowing it to serve global energy markets where additional lifting is needed both onshore and at sea.

“Having worked on numerous large-scale offshore wind projects, we understand how important the logistics between port delivery and installation are to maintaining a schedule,” says Martin Tieman, project manager for Mammoet.

The SK6000 is specifically designed for large energy and infrastructure projects such as refineries, nuclear power plants and offshore wind turbines.

Mammoet, which has worked with Equinor to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm, says the new crane will enhance the efficiency of offshore construction.

The new machine has been inspired by the need for bigger lifting capacity as offshore wind components continue to grow bigger and heavier.

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The SK6000’s new design will allow clients to seamlessly integrate larger turbines and launch heavier fixed and floating foundations.

Quick mobilization

The crane will follow the same containerized approach as its predecessors to allow for quick mobilization and on-site assembly.

“The SK6000 fixed jib is just the latest evolution in a crane series that allows small adjustments to have a large effect on performance,” says Mammoet techie Jeremy Haylock.

The new ring crane is expected to streamline the integration of offshore and floating production projects in the energy sector by accommodating bigger topside modules.

Additionally, the SK6000 will potentially assist refineries in minimizing land downtime by efficiently removing and installing large components with minimal disruption.

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