Ring crane

This ability for a single crane to make lifts over a large area may reduce the amount of other expensive high-capacity plant needed, such as self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT).

[6] Typical loads include petrochemical plant modules, nuclear reactor vessels, bridge components or offshore equipment.

[9] The first heavy ring crane was developed by Huisman in 1996, for petrochemical plant construction in Dubai.

A Van Seumeren[iii] Demag CC4800 crawler crane, which had been used by Huisman on other worldwide contracts since 1992, was adapted by being placed on a ring track.

When dismantled for shipping they may either be moved as large units, or broken down further to the size of standard freight containers.

[5] The counterweight for the crane is composed of a series of open steel boxes, based on standard 40-foot (12 m) freight containers, which can be filled with low-cost, locally sourced material such as sand, rubble or scrap metal.

[1] Assembly on site is itself a complex process, involving a number of smaller cranes and several weeks of effort,[12] and a cost of perhaps $500,000.

In September 2019, it began work at the construction site for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, England, and is expected to remain there for four years.