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A crane lifting a transformer onto a boat two weeks ago ended up in lake Lucerne and has now been recovered.
The five axle All Terrain crane from the fleet of Swiss crane rental company Fanger was carrying out the lift in lakeside town of Beckenried when it lost stability and went into the water ending up at a depth of around 30 metres. It was working on short rigged outriggers and a relatively short boom when the incident occurred.
Thankfully no one was injured or hurt in the incident and the operator managed to escape from the cab just in time. Three others standing alongside saved themselves by jumping into the ice-cold lake and were able to swim back to the shore.
The fire service erected an oil barrier to contain leaking oil and fuel, while divers then managed to pump the fluid out of three of the crane’s four tanks and ensure that the contents of the other one were sealed inside, helping prevent further contamination. On Monday, Fanger managed to raise the stricken crane from the depths with its 750 tonne Liebherr LR 1750/2 crawler crane with the help of divers who, one assumes, had been instructed in the arts of slinging.
The crane was reported to be lying at a depth of 30 metres
Josef Waser, head of cranes and transport at Fanger said: "The salvage worked as we wanted it to. The challenge was that we had no view under water and were dependent on pictures from the divers."
Fanger’s LR1750 starts the recovery
