Crane industry news Archives | Page 20 of 37

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.

Grove rises above the trees for Hack

A 400t Grove GMK6400 all terrain crane was used by German heavy lift specialist Hack to lift construction materials onto the roof of a 60m-high building.

The project was based in Koblenz, Germany and involved lifting 5t loads at a radius of 86m in an inner-city location. The crane was required to navigate trees which lined the job site, with the jib rigged in mid-air to avoid damaging the recently-resurfaced road.

Using the GMK6400 configured with a 55m boom and 79m luffing jib, Hack completed the job in two days.

The crane was accompanied by four trucks and was fitted on arrival at the site with its full 135t counterweight, before the self-rigging MegaWingLift attachment was installed, increasing capacity by 70%.

Supported by flat-bed trucks, the jib sections were connected at ground level before the full 79m extension was raised.

Since purchasing the GMK6400 in the summer, Hack has also used the crane for projects including wind turbine maintenance and erection, tower crane assembly, and other large-radius lifts on inner-city sites.

Company owner Udo Hack said: “The GMK6400 is fast to erect, easy to use, and can perform lifts that few other cranes of this size can complete. I am delighted with how busy the crane is.”