131031 Maid Dock 1

James Neiss/staff photographerNiagara Falls, NY - The newly-installed Liebherr crane lifts the Maid of the Mist VII from the Niagara River onto the new drydock facility that was built at the former Schoellkopf Power Plant site on Thursday.(From the press release)At the end of each season, the crane will lift the 600-passenger Maid of the Mist boats onto dry land for off-season maintenance. Each spring, the reverse will happen, with the Maids returned to the waters of the Niagara River for the start of the season. The Liebherr crane has a lift capacity of 430,000 pounds, with a reach of 78 feet.Liebherr, based in Nenzing, Austria, constructed the crane in Rostock, Germany and Sunderland, England. It was consolidated on board ship in Antwerp, Belgium, where it sailed to Hamilton, Ontario. The pieces were then driven across the Peace Bridge to the Schoellkopf site and lowered into the Niagara Gorge where they were put in place.Work on the Maid of the Mist maintenance facility will continue, with a projected completion of the third quarter of 2014.