GRSE commissions 250 ton Goliath crane in Kolkata

Rear Admiral VK Saxena, IN (Retd.), Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE commissioned the new crane in the presence of CMDE Sanjeev Nayyar, IN (Retd.), Director (Shipbuilding), including other senior officials of the company.

This Goliath crane has a capacity of 250 tonnes, a height of 59.6 meters, a width of 35.5 meters, and a span of 116 meters manufactured in M/s Sangsangin Marine, South Korea, and transported by sea to GRSE in a fully assembled condition.

This crane is equipped with an automated smart control system that requires just one operator to manage it.

Highlighting its significance, Saxena said, "The availability of the Goliath crane shall boost the production capacity of GRSE for undertaking concurrent construction with respect to its ongoing and future projects.

"It is understood that an evolution of transportation of a fully assembled Goliath crane by sea and the complex process of unloading from ship to shore directly on crane tracks has been undertaken for the first time in India."

The gigantic crane started its journey from Korea on Dec 6, 2020, and after overcoming rough weather and sea conditions of the South China Sea while maneuvering narrow sharp bends of Hooghly River, the vessel finally reached GRSE on February 21, the ship building expert said.

Overcoming technical challenges, finally, on Feb 26 the crane was parked in its position. Further activities including setting to work and trials were completed over the last four months. The crane got commissioned on Tuesday.

The shipyard has made a significant contribution towards ‘Atmanirbhar’ Abhiyaan through advancement in state-of-the-art warship design and construction by achieving over 90 per cent indigenous content onboard ASW Corvettes and Landing Craft Utility ships, GRSE said.