Working at the port or offshore can be quite challenging. The different characteristics of the water and adjacent land environment necessitate special equipment to facilitate activities such as construction, loading, and unloading cargo from one place to another. Thankfully, cranes are readily available for hire to facilitate work that has to be carried out in places such as port loading points or offshore construction. Here are a few types of cranes you can hire to assist when working in such sites:

The sidelift crane

This is a mobile road-going semi-trailer that can lift and transport internationally standardised containers often used in shipping. The sidelift crane has parallel hoists that can lift a particular load, whether it is in a container or not, from the ground or railway vehicle. Since the crane is mobile, the load can then be taken to the preferred site at the workplace. This crane is suitable when you moving many loads to a particular location since the semi-trailer is mobile. However, it is limited to loads that can fit into containers.

The crawler crane

The crawler crane is ideal for construction on beaches and sandy areas near the sea. The crane is fitted with an undercarriage that has multiple tracks called crawlers. The crawlers refer to thick metallic belts that work like conveyor belts, enabling the crane to move from one place to another. The crawlers are also important for stability, meaning that the crane can work well within sandy construction sites because of the improved grip.

However, these cranes are very heavy, which makes it hard to move them from one working site to another. Therefore, they are suitable for use in single projects. If you have to move them, they have to be disassembled into smaller parts before transportation.

The floating crane

Floating cranes come in handy when you have to carry out loading, drilling, or construction offshore. They are also important in the construction of bridges over large rivers and other points separated by water bodies. In addition, the floating cranes are also helpful for unloading and loading abnormal loads on and off ships. Such loads cannot fit into containers used for shipping.

The crane is mounted on a long, horizontal boat-like structure that is able to float on water. Since it is the only crane that enables you to work offshore comfortably, it has high lifting capacity so that you can lift and move extremely heavy loads. For instance, they can be used to salvage ships that have sunk or move whole sections of bridges for fitting.

For more information about the equipment that may be useful for your marine work, contact a local crane hire company like Williams Crane Hire. 

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