Base Marine’s new Humma 35T crane made its operations more flexible in Western Australia’s ports. The crane, known for its flexibility and mobility, is helping Base Marine grow across different sectors and services.
Base Marine is a West Australian (WA) marine services company established in 2013 in the coastal town of Exmouth. The business began with just one crane and a forklift. Its founding goal was simple: to provide port and logistics services tailored to the booming oil and gas sector operating off the WA coast.
A decade later, Base Marine has grown into a diversified service provider operating across the state’s key ports, including Bunbury, Geraldton, and Ashburton. The company’s footprint has expanded beyond marine logistics to include stevedoring, landside operations, site services, decommissioning, and specialised equipment and personnel hire.
As General Manager Nick Tutty puts it, “We’ve been through the ups and downs – from the oil price crash in 2014 to COVID, but we’ve kept adapting. That’s been the key to our survival and expansion.”
With this growth has come the need for a more flexible and capable crane fleet. While Base Marine began with a 150-tonne crawler crane, its fixed nature and high mobilisation costs eventually became a limitation. The team needed machines that could move quickly between sites, meet stringent compliance standards, and handle a broad range of lifting jobs across both coastal and inland environments. Enter the Humma 35T.
Late in 2024, Base Marine added a 35-tonne Humma crane, designed and built by DRA Group in Perth, to its growing fleet. For a company that treats capital investment with caution, the decision followed rigorous evaluation.
“We ran a proper tender. We looked at all the usual players and put each model under the microscope,” said Nick. “In the end, the Humma came out clearly on top – both technically and practically.”
What won Base Marine over was the Humma’s superior articulation performance, especially under load.
“When you look at lifting charts, lots of machines seem similar at first. But once you start articulating the boom or while working at angles, their capacity drops away quickly. Humma maintains its strength without distortion from zero to 42 degrees.”
The Humma UV35-25 features four fully-powered fabricated booms extending up to 20.9 metres, with no manual extension required. With the optional telescopic fly jib, operators can access over 26 metres of total reach. Its digitally compensated winch rope system ensures smooth and precise control during lifts, while the under-boom sliding hooks support low-clearance operations – ideal for ports and confined industrial sites.
“We need gear that can move fast, work hard, and get the job done without fuss. With the Humma, we’re seeing exactly that,” said Nick.
Road-ready for Australian conditions
Mobility is a critical factor for any contractor working across Western Australia’s vast geography. One of the Humma’s most valued features is its ability to travel at highway speeds, up to 100 kilometre per hour (km/h). The three-tonne counterweight can be removed for easier transport.
The airbag suspension eliminates all shock loading and vibration through the crane chassis. This also leads to lower maintenance costs with no line boring of articulation or boom pivots required. Additionally, the suspension allows the crane to be stable at high speeds.
“Compared to other pick and carry machines, the 35-tonne Humma is in a league of its own on the road,” Nick said. “That speed and comfort – thanks to the airbag suspension – lets us respond quickly to shutdowns or mobilisation calls. It makes our business more responsive and more competitive.”
The climate-controlled cabin, four-camera system, and separate digital gauge display add to the operator’s ease, safety, and visibility. These creature comforts, combined with the robust build, have earned positive reviews from Base Marine’s experienced operators.
“They’ve all worked across different machines,” said Nick, “and they’ve been impressed by the Humma’s power, control, and comfort – on site and on the road.”
Beyond performance, DRA Group’s commitment to quality and local service stood out.
“We were blown away by what we saw at their Perth facility,” Nick recalled. “The build quality, the longevity of their team, the pride in their work – it reminded me of when we imported our straddle carrier from England. You could see generations of knowledge in the machine.”
That local manufacturing capability also aligns with Base Marine’s own values. “We have a strong local content policy. Buying from an Australian-owned company that manufactures in WA fits perfectly with how we want to operate. And the after-sales support? It’s been outstanding.”
Even though the machine has had no major issues, the DRA team continues to check in post-delivery, something Nick said is rare in the industry.
Immediate deployment
The Humma’s impact was immediate. After passing all compliance inspections, including at Pilbara Port Authority and by major mining clients, the crane went to work on two high-profile projects.
“In its first week, it was working for two of our biggest clients. Since then, it’s been booked out constantly. We’re getting calls from new clients who specifically want that machine.”
Humma’s high compliance rating and mine site-ready safety systems has opened doors previously difficult to access. “It’s given our business development team something new to lead with.”