08.09.2026

Two 800 tonners for SAL

German maritime company SAL, part of the Harren group, has taken delivery of two 800 tonne all electric Liebherr LS 800 E ship cranes, installed on MV Patricia, the third vessel in its Orca Class newbuilding programme.

Launched in 2022, the LS 800 E helps reduce overall ship emissions. The two cranes can handle up to 1,600 tonnes in a tandem lift. They include a ‘Master V’ control unit, providing the highest possible computing power for faster data processing, which enables the integration of future assistance systems and semiautomated process applications. The cranes also include the Litronic control system.

The two cranes are linked to the vessel's power management system, allowing crane energy demand to be coordinated with other onboard power demands, while energy recovered from some crane functions can be returned to the ship's electrical network, stored and reused. The vessel takes its name from Patricia Rüf, a member of the administrative board at Liebherr, who named it during the handover ceremony.

Martin Harren said: "The Orca Class was conceived for the next 30 years of heavy lift shipping, with the flexibility, efficiency and performance required by our customers' evolving projects. Naming this vessel Patricia reflects the close relationship between our companies."

MV Patricia left Rostock with a Liebherr LHM 800 mobile harbour crane for Luanda, Angola, and an LPS 550 portal crane for Casablanca, Morocco aboard.

SAL is based in Hamburg and handles project and multipurpose shipping, liner services, bulk and offshore work. Together with SAL Intermarine it operates around 80 multipurpose and heavy lift vessels, with combined crane capacities of up to 2,000 tonnes, and employs more than 2,200 people across 28 offices in 26 countries.