Floating grab cranes have been in operation for many years.
Mounted on a (self-propelled) pontoon the cranes provide fast, independent operations.
Floating cranes can be used in ports and in open waters (at sea) and are used for loading, discharging, transhipment and lightening (for ports with insufficient depth).
Basically any grab crane can be placed on a pontoon, but the most popular floating cranes are the Lemniscate crane and the Harbour pontoon crane.
A very common pontoon mounted crane is the Lemniscate type. Important advantages of this type of crane are the horizontal load path and the perfect position of the crane driver, direct on top of his work.
Since 2004 manufacturers of mobile harbour cranes also offer floating cranes. These cranes use the same standardised concept and assembly process as the standard rail or rubber tyre-mounted mobile harbour cranes.
