The Manitowoc Skyscrapers: These two cranes are planned to depart for the Pacific Ocean next year
Nov 04, 2024
The two cranes that have been built in Manitowoc are planned to set sail in spring or summer. Manufactured by Konecranes and Broadwind, the two massive cranes will go to Washington and Pearl Harbor. Though a long process, Broadwind says the cranes will hopefully leave in spring or summer. The trip for both cranes will take multiple months at sea.(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)Twin cranes in Manitowoc have been in our backyard for more than a year.One hundred fifty feet tall and 2.3 to 2.5 million pounds. They've been undergoing testing at Broadwind and Konecranes.Broadwind director of business development Brett Hartman says they're just waiting for the right time to ship."Obviously these are huge projects, he said. There's been a lot going on. I know these haven't left yet, but it's not due to a lack of effort."With crane 70 going to Washington state and P-82 going to Pearl Harbor, Hartman told me they hope to leave in spring or summer depending on weather concerns."We're a small little town, says Hartman. The fact that we're having this kind of impact around the country and around the globe, is significant."There they will place and remove objects in nuclear submarines.Surprisingly, our beloved cranes aren't named for their personality."It's an asset number, more of an accounting thing, Hartman explains. I'm not sure how you lose one of these things but they number 'em."70 and P-82 aren't the end of the road for big-crane construction along the Lakeshore."Right behind these, there are two more and we hope there's two more after that, said Hartman.According to Hartman, the goal is to produce and ship two cranes per year over the next five to ten years."We've worked on these projects for quite a few years, Hartman said. We've got a lot of people that put a lot of hours into this and we feel that we're developing a process that's very repeatable.The trip for the cranes isn't a walk in the park. Estimated travel time is around three months for 70 to Washington and nearly four months for P-82 to arrive in Hawaii.