Nacelle cranes: Hiab picks up a EUR 5 million order for the offshore wind sector
Hiab has taken a EUR 5 million order for loader cranes destined for offshore wind turbines, booked in the first quarter of 2024 with all deliveries scheduled inside the same year.
A crane that never leaves the tower
The model ordered is the HIAB SWP, designed specifically for the service operations of offshore wind turbines rather than for road transport work. It is installed in the nacelle – the housing at the top of the tower that contains the generating equipment – and stays there for the working life of the turbine.
From that position the crane covers a wide spread of tasks. It hoists equipment up from sea-level platforms, moves components inside the nacelle during maintenance, and handles deliveries brought in to the helicopter platform at the top of the turbine. Hiab says the model performs in the difficult conditions that come with the job: salt air, wind, and no straightforward way of getting a replacement machine up the tower.
A steady niche
For Hiab’s light and medium loader crane division, offshore wind has become a recurring source of work rather than an occasional project.
“This order greatly acknowledges Hiab as a trusted global partner in the offshore wind sector. We are well-prepared and excited to support the customer in the years ahead.”
– Artur Jaslowski, Global Product Manager, Loader Cranes Light & Medium, Hiab
The underlying market gives some idea why. Global offshore wind capacity grew by 8.8 GW in 2022 to reach 64.3 GW, according to figures from the Global Wind Energy Council quoted by Hiab, and the GWEC expected an average of 26 GW to be added annually worldwide through to 2027. Every one of those turbines needs a means of lifting tools, spares and components several dozen metres above the sea.
Hiab does not name the customer, and the announcement gives no unit count, only the value and the model. What it does confirm is that the SWP is being ordered in batches large enough to register in a quarterly order intake figure, which is unusual for a specialist loader crane variant.
What came next
The order proved to be a precursor rather than a one-off. In July 2025 Hiab signed a three-year frame agreement worth EUR 23.5 million for the same crane model, covering wind farms in the United Kingdom, Taiwan and the United States, with deliveries running from early 2026 to early 2029. At the time of the 2024 order, Hiab was still part of Cargotec.
Source: Hiab — Photos: Hiab