Largest Gantry Crane in the World: Kuangshan Crane and China's Record-Breaking Rise in Heavy Lifting

Gantry cranes, as cornerstone equipment in modern industry, play a pivotal role in shipbuilding, offshore oil platforms, and infrastructure construction due to their formidable lifting capacity and versatility. From record-breaking giants recognized by Guinness World Records to lifting equipment supporting China's major engineering projects, these engineering marvels drive global industrial progress. This article focuses on the world's largest gantry cranes—Taisun and Honghai—and highlights typical project cases of China's Kuangshan Crane across various fields, showcasing the widespread application of gantry cranes globally and in China.

Largest Gantry Crane in the World

China's engineering prowess has produced two awe-inspiring super gantry cranes—Taisun and Honghai—which not only shattered world records for lifting capacity but also revolutionized the logic of modular lifting operations. Below, we delve into the specifications and engineering applications of these colossal machines.

Taisun Gantry Crane

Located at Yantai Raffles Shipyard in Yantai City, Shandong Province, China, Taisun was designed and manufactured by Dalian Heavy Industry Group (DHHI). It is specifically engineered for the integrated lifting and launching of ultra-large offshore modules, such as semi-submersible drilling platforms and FPSOs (Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels).

Traditional offshore vessel modules are typically lifted in batches (1,000–2,000 tons per lift), constrained by narrow decks and limited lifting positions, resulting in low efficiency. Taisun can hoist an entire top-deck module weighing up to 20,000 tons in a single lift, enabling simultaneous construction of upper and lower hulls, reducing project timelines, and enhancing construction quality and safety. Taisun successfully lifted a 14,000-ton deck module, providing reliable support for the modular, parallel construction of platform structures.

Product Specifications

• Safe Working Load: 20,000 tons
• Height: 133 meters
• Span: 120 meters
• Maximum Lifting Height: 80 meters
• Dry Dock Length: 380 meters
• Total Length of Wire Rope: 50,000 meters (31 miles), ensuring stable lifting for high hoist points and wide spans.

Technical Highlights

Modular Parallel Construction

• Supports simultaneous construction of upper and lower hulls, significantly shortening project timelines.
• Modules up to 20,000 tons can be lifted without multiple segmented hoists, reducing on-board assembly and commissioning.
• Saves up to 2 million man-hours, improving on-site safety and assembly quality.

Specialized Design and Manufacturing

• Fully developed by DHHI, its engineering structure earned the ASME Woelfel Engineering Achievement Award and the OTC Technology Innovation Award.
• Combines PLC with redundant safety systems for real-time monitoring of load and displacement, ensuring smooth and precise ultra-heavy lifting.
• Utilizes high-strength steel structures and energy-efficient electric drives for reliable and durable operation.

According to Guinness World Records, Taisun holds the record for the “heaviest lift by a crane,” achieved on April 18, 2008, when it lifted a barge with ballast water weighing 20,133 metric tons (44,385,667.25 pounds). However, this record was surpassed by the Honghai Crane, completed in 2014, with a lifting capacity of 22,000 tons.

Honghai Gantry Crane

The Honghai Crane, a mobile gantry crane manufactured by China's Honghua Group, was commissioned in 2014 at a Jiangsu shipyard. It is the world's largest mobile gantry crane by lifting capacity, used to hoist and assemble hull modules for a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV), delivered in 2015 to Denmark's Nordic Offshore Supply Unlimited. It later supported module lifting for Orion Group's large-scale offshore semi-submersible drilling platforms, enabling modular and parallel production of offshore equipment.

Product Specifications

• Lifting Capacity: 22,000 tons, capable of hoisting ultra-heavy modules to a height of 65 meters.
• Height: 150 meters
• Span: 124 meters
• Maximum Lifting Height: 71 meters

Technical Highlights

• Maximum lifting height of 71 meters, equipped with 48 suspension points, each with a 300-ton capacity, enabling balanced and synchronized lifting of ultra-heavy modules.
• Powered by an 1,800 kW variable-frequency drive motor group, utilizing a dual-rail, dual-bogie roller system for smooth movement on tracks, ensuring synchronized, precise positioning and load distribution during lifting operations.
• Total weight, including rigging, is approximately 14,800 tons, showcasing its capacity for large-scale, heavy-duty structures.
• Equipped with PLC intelligent control and multiple load/displacement monitoring systems for real-time feedback, with redundant braking and emergency stop functions to ensure safety and control during high-risk, ultra-heavy operations.

From Taisun to Honghai, these ultra-heavy gantry cranes represent the pinnacle of contemporary heavy equipment manufacturing and underscore China's deep involvement and continuous leadership in the global high-end lifting equipment sector. Their emergence has significantly enhanced the efficiency of modular offshore construction, pushing the boundaries of lifting limits and providing a solid foundation for the manufacturing and installation of larger, more complex structures in the future.

Kuangshan Crane's Large Gantry Crane Project Cases

As a leader in China's lifting equipment manufacturing industry, Kuangshan Crane (Henan Kuangshan) consistently demonstrates the superior performance and technological advantages of its heavy-duty gantry cranes in numerous national mega-projects. From bridge structure lifting to port heavy-component handling and modular construction in offshore and shipbuilding industries, Kuangshan Crane leverages its independently developed high-capacity, highly intelligent lifting solutions to serve as a core equipment supplier for large-scale infrastructure projects.

The following selected project cases highlight Kuangshan Crane's deep involvement in several representative engineering endeavors.

1000t Gantry Crane Supports the Largest Port Hub Project in the Middle and Upper Yangtze River

Led by China Railway Group, this project is the largest port hub development in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River to date. Kuangshan Crane customized two 1000-ton gantry cranes for the project, widely used for:

• Large equipment loading and unloading
• Heavy component lifting and transport
• Critical lifting operations in high-frequency port activities

Their deployment significantly enhances port construction and operational efficiency, supporting the upgrade of regional logistics hubs.

Technical Highlights

• Ultra-High Lifting Capacity Design: Single-unit lifting capacity of up to 1000 tons, meeting the needs of ultra-heavy component lifting, leading the industry.
• High-Strength Steel Structure: The crane's main body uses an optimized high-strength steel structure, reducing self-weight while ensuring load-bearing capacity and structural stability.
• Intelligent Control System: Integrates advanced intelligent control systems for lifting path planning, condition monitoring, and fault self-diagnosis, significantly improving operational safety and automation.
• Efficient Collaborative Operation: Supports dual-crane linkage and synchronized lifting, suitable for distributed lifting of large components, ensuring construction continuity and efficiency.
• Superior Stability and Safety: Equipped with anti-wind, anti-overturning, and structural self-inspection safety systems, adaptable to the complex and variable conditions of port environments.

750t Double-Girder Gantry Crane Empowers Zhejiang's Key Engineering Project

Kuangshan Crane customized a 750-ton double-girder gantry crane for a major engineering project in Zhejiang, which has been successfully commissioned. This colossal equipment undertakes critical tasks such as large component lifting and ultra-heavy condition handling, providing robust support for accelerating and enhancing the project's construction efficiency. Its high capacity, large span, and intelligent control technology are particularly suited for large-scale bridges, port loading/unloading, and major infrastructure construction sites, demonstrating excellent industrial adaptability and scenario compatibility.

Technical Highlights

• Multiple Safety Protections for Stable Operation: Equipped with a vehicle-wide safety monitoring system and a PLC + frequency converter communication control system, achieving synchronized lifting points and automatic balance adjustment. Real-time control of the machine's operating status effectively prevents off-loading, impact, and overload risks, ensuring stable and safe operation under complex conditions.
• Intelligent Positioning System for Enhanced Precision and Efficiency: Designed with a single-side dual-track structure to reduce wheel pressure and foundation construction costs, while integrating an automatic positioning system to significantly improve lifting precision and scheduling efficiency, providing technical support for high-precision lifting scenarios.
• Energy-Saving and Efficient Green Lifting: The structure uses high-strength special steel for sustained operation under high loads. The main power system employs 10kV high-voltage power supply and can automatically recover energy during load descent, achieving energy savings of 25-30%. This green design meets heavy-load lifting demands while significantly reducing energy consumption and operating costs.

700t Gantry Crane Supports Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge Construction

The Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge, a national mega-project, features a main tower reaching 350 meters—equivalent to a 125-story building—making it one of the world's tallest suspension bridge towers. Kuangshan Crane provided the core equipment—a 700-ton gantry crane—for the steel tower structure lifting operations, becoming a key lifting equipment supplier for the project. This marks another significant contribution by Kuangshan Crane, following its involvement in the Jianzhou Bridge, Changtai Yangtze River Bridge, and Ma'anshan Yangtze River Public-Rail Bridge projects, further solidifying its technical strength and market position in heavy lifting equipment for bridge engineering.

Technical Highlights

The 700t engineering gantry crane integrates high-standard, high-strength bridge construction requirements with modern control technology, intelligent systems, and green manufacturing principles, featuring:

• Full-vehicle PLC + frequency converter communication control for smoother, safer, and more reliable operation.
• Multi-point synchronized control with automatic balance adjustment for energy-efficient and high-efficiency lifting.
• Fiber-optic communication for interference-free signals and high integration.
• An automatic positioning system for greater precision and efficiency, meeting the stringent requirements of bridge construction.

500t Gantry Crane Successfully Supports Ma'anshan Yangtze River Public-Rail Bridge Construction

In the key national project—the Ma'anshan Yangtze River Public-Rail Bridge—Kuangshan Crane customized a 500-ton gantry crane for China Railway No. 9 Bridge Engineering Group. The bridge, designed as a three-tower, two-main-span cable-stayed structure, has a single span of 1,120 meters and a continuous double-span of 2,240 meters, making it one of the world's largest three-tower cable-stayed bridges.
Kuangshan Crane supplied over ten sets of lifting equipment, including 500t and 400t cranes, primarily used for lifting and positioning critical bridge structures such as the main steel towers, ensuring efficient, safe, and high-quality project progress.

450t Ultra-Large-Span Shipbuilding Gantry Crane Serves Ship and Offshore Manufacturing

Kuangshan Crane successfully developed and commissioned a 450t ultra-large-span shipbuilding gantry crane, marking a new milestone in its technical capabilities for heavy port equipment. Designed for large-segment lifting in shipbuilding and offshore engineering, the crane supports functions such as lifting, transporting, mid-air flipping, and assembly. It is widely used for handling and high-precision installation of ship hull structures, serving as a critical piece of equipment for modern shipyards to enhance efficiency and ensure quality.

Technical Highlights

• Scientifically Stable Structural Design: Features a trapezoidal main beam with I-shaped rigid legs and A-shaped flexible legs. Operators and maintenance personnel can access the driver's cabin and upper beam via ladders or elevators within the rigid legs.
• Safe and Reliable Lifting Process: The hoisting mechanism includes a rope-alignment device to prevent wire rope derailment, ensuring safety during lifting operations.
• Precise Operation Correction: The running mechanism is equipped with a skew correction device for automatic or manual correction of travel deviations.
• Intelligent Control System for High-Precision Lifting: Incorporates an intelligent control system with multi-hook linkage and synchronized operation, paired with a PLC + frequency control system for millimeter-level precision in lifting operations.
• Comprehensive Safety Protection System: Includes safety monitoring, vehicle electronic anti-collision, anti-wind, and fire alarm systems to ensure safe and reliable operation.

Dubbed the “Iron Man of the Skies,” this 450t ultra-large-span gantry crane not only showcases Kuangshan Crane's intelligent manufacturing prowess in heavy lifting equipment but also provides efficient, intelligent, and safe lifting solutions for China's shipbuilding and offshore industries, marking another landmark achievement in advancing industrial upgrades and intelligent manufacturing.

Summary: China's Power Reshaping the Global Lifting Landscape

From the record-breaking Taisun and Honghai super gantry cranes to Kuangshan Crane's deep involvement in major Chinese engineering projects, Chinese manufacturing is steadily leading the global heavy lifting equipment sector with its robust technical expertise, intelligent manufacturing capabilities, and extensive engineering experience.

Gantry cranes are more than just technical products; they are critical tools driving upgrades in infrastructure, offshore engineering, and high-end manufacturing industries. Particularly in bridge construction, modular offshore lifting, and shipbuilding, Chinese lifting equipment manufacturers are continuously pushing the “lifting limit.” Kuangshan Crane, with its range from 1000-ton port engineering equipment to 450-ton shipbuilding gantry cranes, fully demonstrates trends toward “high capacity, intelligence, and sustainability.”

Looking ahead, as global demand for assembly efficiency and lifting safety continues to grow, Chinese companies like Kuangshan Crane will drive innovation in areas such as lifting automation, intelligent control, and extreme condition adaptability, propelling gantry cranes toward higher technical sophistication and broader application scenarios.

krystal

Crane OEM expert

With 8 years of experience in customizing lifting equipment, helped 10,000+ customers with their pre-sales questions and concerns, if you have any related needs, please feel free to contact me!

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