November 2014 | Page 2 of 3

Kran Saller erecting wind turbines

A 750t Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 crane has been used by German crane company Kran Saller to erect wind turbine towers.

Kran Saller, based in Deggendorf, added the crane to its fleet in July and recently used it to erect 89m-high concrete tower for 12 wind turbines.

The project, at the Berngerode wind farm at Schlitz, involved erecting the towers for 2.5MW wind turbines manufactured by GE. The crane was equipped with a Y-guying system and a 35m luffing jib.

Following that stage, Kran Saller used a Liebherr LR 1600/2 crawler crane to install segments of the steel tubular tower to the hub height of 139m, as well as the nacelle, hub and blades.

At almost 80t, the foundation rings were the heaviest components, with the steel tubular tower segments weighing in at 55t.

As the LTM 1750-9.1 is the largest crane in Kran Saller’s fleet, the crane company added to the crane’s livery the name ‘Big Red One’. The next project planned for the crane by Kran Saller is erecting three wind turbines at the Hohenstein wind farm near Wiesbaden.

ALE completes Australian projects with Liebherr crane

ALE has completed a number of projects in Australia using its 1,350t Liebherr LR11350 crawler crane.
The projects, completed over the last five months, included the transportation and installation of a 605t CO2 absorber column in Darwin.

At Cape Lambert in Western Australia, ALE installed two 400t car dumper cells using the LR11350.

ALE’s projects and technical director Filippo Anello said of the project in Darwin: “With limited space for the positioning and manoeuvring of the crane on a live gas plant, the lift and transport planning were carefully engineered to complete the operation safely.”

Absorbing project for Mammoet in Malaysia

Mammoet has completed the lift of a 1,210t machinery component for a petrochemical plant in Malaysia.

The Dutch company was contracted by Nippon Express to lift the DEEP AGR absorber at the petrochemical plant being constructed in Sarawak by Malaysian firm Petronas.

The top section of the 55m-long absorber was lifted using a gantry system, with the other end driven into position with an auxiliary crane.

The lift was completed in five hours, two weeks ahead of schedule. Meeting the deadline was essential, said Mammoet, as Petronas/JGC set a 33-month timeframe for the complete construction of the plant.

Wolffkran building bridges in German vineyards

Porr is using two 12t Wolffkran cranes to assist construction of a bridge on a new national motorway in Germany.

The High Mosel Bridge is part of the Bundesstrasse 50, a project established by the German state that will connect the Benelux countries with the Rhine-Main region of Germany.

The bridge, which is 1.7km long and 158m high, is being constructed over vineyards in the Mosel Valley region. The project required contractor Porr Deutschland to expand its fleet with the two Wolff 6031.12 flattop trolley jib cranes, and to commission Wolffkran to provide associated services at the site over the next four years.

The cranes, which are operating at heights of 113.6m and 131.6m with a jib length of 40m, are being used to erect four pairs of bridge pylons and are currently working on the second pair. For the higher pylons, the cranes will rise to a hook height of 163m.

The cranes will be relocated several times throughout the project, including climbing and tie-ins — with the windy conditions in the region making the operations particularly challenging, said Wolffkran.

The cranes are set to work on the bridge until 2016, before the bridge is opened to traffic in 2018.

ALE completes South China Sea project

Heavy lifting and transport specialist ALE has completed an offshore project involving a 13,000t topside in the South China Sea.

The project comprised the load-out, float-over, offshore lifting and leveling of the Lu Feng topside, performed for Chinese offshore oil engineering company COOEC.

ALE used 24 850t-capacity strand jacks to perform the on-shore test lift, before the load-out of the topside onto the transportation and float-over barge was completed at Shekou.

The topside was transported 140m from the build location to its final position on the barge. ALE also elevated the topside by 10m, using its ballast and barge level monitoring systems to ensure a safe operation.

Crawlers assist at Europe’s biggest LNG facility

A team of five Manitowoc crawler cranes are assisting the construction of what is said to be the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Europe.

The cranes are being operated by Dutch crawler specialist Crane House and working up to 24 hours a day at the €1bn project at Dunkirk, France.

With capacities from 250t-400t, the cranes were first used on the site in 2011, when a Manitowoc 16000 and a 272t Manitowoc 2250 were used for six months to install underwater foundations and a floating flat barge.

In mid-2013, another 16000 joined the project, followed by a second 2250 and a Manitowoc 15000 model. The 16000, as the largest crane on the site, is rigged with a 96m boom.

The cranes have worked along the shoreline at the project, with one assembled on an off-shore platform. They were recently used to assist the construction of the terminal jetty, primarily through pouring concrete.

The project, which is being overseen by a consortium lead by French contractor Vinci, is due to be completed next year.