Liebherr mobile cranes move lifeboat in tandem hoist.

The Bavarian crane logistics company BKL recently sent two Liebherr mobile cranes to the German Museum in Munich. As a result of planned modification work, the Theodor-Heuss, a lifeboat built in 1950, had to be moved a few metres from its current location.

Working in tandem with specially made fastening equipment and cross beams, an LTM 1200-5.1 and an LTM 1250-6.1 moved the special vessel and its sub-structure, a total weight of around 62 tonne, to a new foundation. The Theodor Heuss, which is named after a former German President and has been on show in the outdoor section of the German Museum for the last 25 years, had to be relocated from its former position because a new underground electrical control centre is being built for the museum there over the next few months.

The staff at the German Museum, large numbers of whom turned out to watch the relocation of the vessel, saw the cranes complete a smooth and professionally prepared operation. The BKL team using the two Liebherr mobile cranes managed to move the 23 m lifeboat to its new foundation within four hours despite the extremely constricted conditions. The life boat will be returned to its former location next year, after the completion of the work on the new control centre.