Clamshell grab

Mobile Harbour crane

Ship Unloader

Transshipment / Floating crane

Opening direction: Transversal or longitudinal

Availability shell types: Open, semi-enclosed, enclosed

Safe Working Load: 20–120 tonnes

01 Features & Specifications
02 Quality Assurance
03 Productivity gain
04 Success stories
05 Service & Maintenance
06 Frequently asked questions

01 Features & Specifications

Competitive pricing

By using the latest innovations in engineering we have updated our manufacturing process and enhanced our clamshell grab with modular parts. The result is a competitive price, while still using the highest quality high tensile wear resistant steel. The optimized manufacturing process also guarantees a shorter lead time for the Clamshell Grab.

To keep the capital expenditures of the Clamshell Grabs as low as possible, we’ve decreased logistics costs by designing this four-rope grab with container shipping in mind. This significantly reduces the costs of transportation to your location.

Reducing OPEX

Market research shows that the highest cost of any grab will always be the operating expenditure, OPEX. We want to keep the OPEX of our customers as low as possible. That is why we only use the most durable materials and decreased the number of parts that are open to wear and tear. We’ve also made it easier to reach and maintain the different parts of the Clamshell Grab.

That is how we can promise your team a safe work environment and the lowest maintenance costs per tonne transferred.

Additional features & specifications

Some of the key qualities are:

100% symmetrical closing
Reduction of stress in grab construction
Short delivery times and enhanced ease of maintenance
Equalizer is supported by double row cylindrical bearings
Round support beam reducing spillage of cargo
Very open design, no risk of material blocking the pulleys

Some of the customization options are:

Centralized lubrication system: The Nemag progressive centralized greasing system of the upper part of the
grab enhances safety and durability.
45 degree lip plate corners: To minimize damage to ship holds and bunkers, the shells are designed with 45 degree lip plate corners.
Bottom wearstrips: The shells will be enforced at the corners with welded strips. This way, critical wear points are well protected. This is always in combination with wearstrips on the side. Which could be required due to the bulk material.
Stroke limiters: Apply stroke limiters in the grab to simply and effectively fine tune your grab to your crane and optimize the lifting capacity of your crane.
Cellasto rings: Extra Cellasto rings on bearings for extra protection.
Manganese steel bearings: Bearings executed in manganese steel (MANGACHOC®).
Hard face welding: Hard-Facing of bottom and side lip plates.

The Clamshell Grab is available as a highly customizable, modular grab for lifting capacities ranging from 20 to 100 tonnes (Safe Working Load).

If you are however looking for a non-standard clamshell grab bucket, please do not hesitate to contact our sales team. They will be happy to help you with all the special requests that you have.

The Clamshell is available for the following bulk materials:

Iron ore
Coal
Cokes
Fertilizers
Limestone
Gypsum
Grains
Soy
and much more

Marc Smeets

SMT Shipping

"Our handling speed increased from 1,000 to 1,250 tons per hour. The NemaX paid for itself more than four times in its first year. "

Paulo Ribeiro

VLI Pecém

"We now unload a ship in four days instead of five. Savings in demurrage costs are considerable, to say the least."

Service & maintenance

From commissioning to years of operation, we support our customers throughout the full lifecycle of the grab. Our service teams provide technical assistance, inspections, and guidance whenever needed, helping operators keep performance predictable over time.

Spare parts availability

All spare parts remain available throughout the entire lifetime of the grab. This ensures repairs, replacements, and upgrades can be carried out without uncertainty, even many years after delivery.

Documentation & guidance

Each grab is delivered with comprehensive manuals, inspection guidelines, and welding instructions. Combined with the manufacturing data book, this documentation provides full transparency and supports safe operation, maintenance, and repairs.

Grab selection can be hard

Selecting the right grab and ensuring you got all the information for your team can be a challenge. Most common questions are listed below, still need help then contact us.

Our grabs are designed to help reduce risk through engineering details (e.g., accessible harness points, smooth/flush contours), and are validated with documented processes (e.g., 60-point inspections, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 certificates, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) summaries, proof-load testing).

Safe operation always depends on trained personnel, correct procedures, and the crane/terminal’s own safety policies.

Planned inspections at regular cycle intervals (e.g., basic checks around 10.000 cycles; deeper inspections around 100.000 cycles) are recommended by Nemag.

Wear parts and kits are available and can be delivered with your purchase.

Typical dispatch target for stocked parts is under 48 hours to keep downtime low.

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Products

Clamshell Grab

Get the product brochure

For the fastest and most reliable handling of your bulk goods