Designed for the sea
Why put a crane on a boat that was meant for a truck?
HS.MARINE, the specialist manufacturer of Marine Cranes, based in north Italy, continues to receive acclaim from the most demanding customers and crane users.
Stefano Forni, founder and Managing Director of HS.MARINE, says: “We have reached the twentieth year of activity. This is a result that goes to reward the path we have decided to follow, focusing on reliability, efficiency and always operational service, with the ability to respond to any request in a very short time.
“These are the three keywords that have made HS.MARINE, a manufacturer of marine cranes, one of the main players in the market. We are definitely not the cheapest manufacturer, but we are proud to say that we are the one offering the cheapest cost of ownership”.
Observing the lifespan of the cranes on the marine market and the costs of the service at sea, the financial impact of a breakdown, HS.MARINE understood that reliability and safety are the main differences between a marine design and a so called “marinised” design.
HS.MARINE therefore decided to develop a specific design for the application and to focus on quality solutions and on the quality of components.
“All our crane designs,” continues Forni, “have been specially developed and improved for operation in the marine environment with a particular attention to fish farming activity. All structures have been designed to take up heavy lateral forces and to have flexibility, but with a low value of deflection under load. All parts have been designed and protected for easy maintenance. Each crane component and each crane part is selected and designed for long life. I repeat: ours are not former marinised truck cranes. Ours are cranes specially designed for Fish Farming.
“At first, they may seem more expensive, perhaps we have a premium price, but at the end we are the cheapest solution because, unlike other cranes, ours are designed to last and therefore we have the lowest cost of ownership on the market. That’s why we have so many repeat customers”.
Forni concludes: “Customers agree that HS.MARINE cranes have a longer lifespan and that HS.MARINE cranes are designed to minimise and simplify maintenance. At the same time the cranes’ reliability reduces the need for spares and, consequently, operational costs. In fact, the HS.MARINE design concept, the quality of the components and the surface treatment reduce maintenance and lifetime costs, simplify the inspection activities and minimise the need for spares and recoating”.
“What is not clear to many customers yet is that the safety aspects are not deniable. To support the progress of the fish farming industry and to guarantee the safety, fish farming equipment needs to be specially designed and developed for this application. HS.MARINE cranes are prepared for the tough marine environment and are designed and built from the ground up for marine use, with high attention to detail.
“HS.MARINE cranes can work in any configurations: no matter if the boom is fully extended vertically or if it is knuckled downwards. In every position the safe working load can be moved by any crane cylinders, including the telescopic ones.
“Just consider that many cranes derived from a truck design clearly state in the manual that the crane cannot work in a fully vertical position, nevertheless they operate in the fish farming sector and their cranes are often used in such configurations. This is even worse, because fish farming companies have personnel close to the cranes. Not to mention that I often see cranes installed on boats that have a lower heel angle capability than boat’s one. Unbelievable! I do believe that, on safety aspects, the fish farming industry need to progress”.
