630 E Duty Cycle Crane on Pontoon for Inland Waterway Operations

The Waterways and Shipping Office (WSA) Spree-Havel is the federal authority responsible for maintaining and managing the inland waterways throughout Berlin and Brandenburg. Established in 2020 through the merger of the former Berlin and Brandenburg waterways authorities, the organisation ensures safe navigation, operates hydraulic engineering structures such as locks, weirs and bridges, and maintains waterways and riverbanks. Much of this work is carried out by the WSA's regional maintenance depots and operational districts.

After a previously operated duty cycle crane was taken out of service following an accident, it quickly became clear that not every application could be covered by hydraulic excavators alone.

Tasks requiring long outreach, high pulling forces or operation in greater water depths particularly benefit from duty cycle crane technology. Equipped with the appropriate attachments, the machine can also be used flexibly as a crane for a wide range of lifting operations. WSA Spree-Havel therefore required a solution capable of operating safely from the water while covering multiple civil engineering and hydraulic construction applications.

The SENNEBOGEN 630 E will primarily be deployed across multiple WSA districts for crane operations during the dewatering of locks and weirs. Many hydraulic engineering structures managed by the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration are accessible only by water. Mounted on its pontoon, the duty cycle crane can travel directly to these sites and carry out lifting operations and construction support work.

Equipped with a clamshell grab and a multi-shell grab, the machine will also perform conventional underwater dredging as well as slope maintenance. In addition, the SENNEBOGEN 630 E is used for handling riprap stones and other construction materials required for hydraulic engineering projects.

The machine also plays a key role in emergency response. It enables WSA Spree-Havel to react quickly to incidents and carry out essential recovery, salvage and securing operations whenever required.

With the new SENNEBOGEN 630 E, WSA Spree-Havel once again has access to a versatile duty cycle crane solution for applications where outreach, line pull, working depth and crane functionality are critical. The machine supports the maintenance of inland waterways throughout Berlin and Brandenburg while significantly expanding the operational capabilities of the authority's maintenance depots and regional districts by enabling work directly from the water.

Its combination of pontoon mounting, customised machine configuration, grapple attachments and crane functionality makes the SENNEBOGEN 630 E a highly flexible solution for both routine hydraulic engineering work and rapid deployment following emergency incidents.

Particular attention was paid to safe operation aboard the pontoon. An integrated heel angle monitoring system allows the machine to operate safely at inclinations of up to 4°, ensuring reliable performance even under demanding working conditions.

Operator instruction, training and ongoing maintenance of the new SENNEBOGEN 630 E are provided by SENNEBOGEN sales and service partner Gebr. Willing GmbH, based in Falkensee near Berlin. This ensures reliable long-term operation while supporting maximum machine availability and cost-effective ownership.