A research station in the antarctic has been undergoing some drastic changes to its on-site wharf. This station is a centre for biological research and a hub for supporting deep-field and air operations.

Recently, this station has been involved in multiple climate change research projects including:

• Researching the effects of plastic litter on the polar regions
• Ozone Monitoring
• Marine Biodiversity

In March 2019, as part of the research station’s new wharf construction, Outreach Offshore has been commissioned to supply a PK65002M knuckle boom crane. This crane is for use in the updated quayside facilities. Due to the needs of the customer, it was essential to develop a custom design solution. Innovative modifications will make this crane able to be used for service in all loading areas in the harsh conditions of the station.

Firstly, Antarctica is the coldest continent in the world with below-freezing temperatures all year round. Due to this, it was important to take into consideration the harsh conditions when designing a custom solution. Therefore, the crane has been fitted with a purpose design Diesel driven generator which powers the Hydraulic power pack. This system has been designed with built-in heaters which allows the use of the machinery in extreme cold weather conditions.

For ultimate manoeuvrability, the knuckle boom crane has been mounted on a demountable skid.  This allows the crane to be positioned in two areas of the dock which facilitates the functionality of the crane in all needed areas.

Outreach Offshore offers custom design solutions to meet our customer’s needs no matter the conditions.  

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