Largest crane in North America to be unveiled

Largest crane in North America to be unveiled    The largest mobile harbor crane in North America will be officially commissioned for service at the Port of Vancouver USA today, the port said.
   The LHM 500S crane, the newest model from Austrian crane manufacturer Liebherr, is capable of hoisting 140 metric tons up to 60-foot outreach and 100 metric tons at 100-foot outreach. The crane weighs close to 500 tons, has a tower height of 116.5 feet, and a boom length of 174 feet.
   “This heavy-lift crane brings a whole new dimension for cargo handling in the Columbia River, positioning Vancouver as a premier project cargo port,” said Larry Paulson, port executive director, in a statement. “We already handled several large wind turbine projects, and this additional capability will open up new markets for the region to handle heavy or oversize equipment, generators and components for large scale projects in the energy and transportation industries.”
   Its first assignment will be completion of a six-month project handling more than 1,000 components for a 127-unit wind farm near Ellensburg, Wash.