Sennebogen material handler pays off for Norwegian operator

Sennebogen 860 material handler has been installed on 2006-built, 5,780 dwt M/V Kjervaagsund since 2019. [Image: Berge Rederi]

Berge Rederi AS, Hitra, Norway, has been using a ship-mounted version of the Sennebogen 860 material handler aboard its 2006-built, 5,780 dwt M/V Kjervaagsund since 2019, making loading and off-loading processes more efficient than ever before.

Family-owned Berge Rederi operates nine vessels, mainly handling animal feed industry raw materials and other bulk materials, such as sand and dolomite. Its main areas of operation are the ARAG Ports (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp-Ghent), Norway and the Baltic Sea.

The Sennebogen 860 material handler was installed on Kjervaagsund using a special trolley that allows it to move more of the cargo while virtually floating above the loading area. Thanks to its increased reach with a custom-built 70-foot (21-meter) banana boom, it’s easy to get to the material in the cargo hold.

The Sennebogen 860 material handler selected by Berge Rederi has a proven Green Hybrid system. This consists of a combination of a nitrogen piston accumulator module in the rear of the machine and an additional hydraulic cylinder at the boom. When the boom is lowered, the energy is stored in separate compressed gas cylinders, which are located in a safe, enclosed area in the rear of the machine. The energy retained is then available again for the next lifting task. Sennebogen say it is easiest to think of it like a spring that is compressed and sets its energy free again when it is released. Compared to conventional, diesel-hydraulic models without an energy recovery system, this can reduce energy costs up to 35%. The Sennebogen Green Hybrid system offers a strategic advantage in the highly competitive port business where a green solution provides even more uptime.

“Our new Sennebogen has further advantages when compared to what we worked on before using a conventional excavator,” says Berge Rederi managing director Øivind Berge. “The banana boom has allowed us to increase the reach and our working depth, giving us more flexibility in everyday use. We are also very pleased with the material handling speed of the machine.”

Depending on the capacity of the port of call, the Kjervaagsund never spends more than twelve hours at the piers to unload its freight. As a result of the gain in cargo handling speed with the 860, the costs for berthing times in the ports has already significantly decreased and will continue to pay dividends in the years to come.

Berge Rederi is planning to install a Sennebogen material handler on its next vessel.

“We are currently working at full speed on our latest acquisition,” says Øivind Berge. “Sletringen, another cargo ship, will be equipped with a Sennebogen 870 E-Series. What is special about this new project is that we will be using an electrically driven material handler in order to further reduce our CO2 emissions while benefitting from lower operating costs in the long term.”