Modulift Marketing Manager, Wendy Armstrong, explained that the main challenge with this project involved how to optimize the lifting capacity of the Samson crane, and how to facilitate the lifting process from only a single point. “For the fi rst stage four years ago, Modulift designed and supplied a 500-ton lifting beam that would combine two of the hoists on the Samson crane to allow 500 tons to be lifted from a single lifting point.” (It should be noted that Samson and Goliath are the twin shipbuilding gantry cranes situated at Queen’s Island, Belfast. T e notorious structures dominate the Belfast skyline.) “T e recently completed fi nal stage was to design a new 700-ton lifting beam that would link up the third hoist on the Samson crane, working in conjunction with the existing 500-ton lifting beam in a unique ‘T’ confi guration.
THIS IS BY FAR THE BIGGEST AND HEAVIEST STRUCTURE MODULIFT HAS EVER DESIGNED. – Wendy Armstrong, Modulift Marketing Manager
Photos courtesy of Modulift
Ultimately, a single 700-ton Ramshorn swivel hook attached to the underside of the 700-ton beam provided the single lifting point.” Essentially, four years after Modulift supplied the fi rst tandem lifting beam— enabling Harland and Wolff to join up two gantry crane hooks, and allowing for the load capacity of 500 tons—an additional custom- made tandem lifting beam was hooked up alongside it, which brought the third gantry crane hook into play to achieve the objective of 700 tons. T e world record was achieved by testing the beam confi guration with 22 water-fi lled bags. And to top it off , Modulift even provided the slings and an 800-ton, eight-meter spreader beam to carry the two lines of water bags for the test. T e piece of equipment is now a permanent fi xture at Harland and Wolff ’s shipyard, permitting them to handle heavy, bulky structures for years to come. “T is will enable Harland and Wolff to handle large structures weighing up to 700 tons from a single lifting point,” said Armstrong. “It opens up more opportunities for them, and the unique design could well suit other owners of similar cranes.”
22 JULY-AUGUST 2014
Modulift recognized this unique lifting solution as a monumental achievement. “T e combined self-weight of the lifting beams is over 80 tons,” observed Armstrong. “T is is by far the biggest and heaviest structure Modulift has ever designed.” And what’s easy to overlook in a project of this magnitude is that Modulift also had to ensure that the loads on each of the three gantry hoists were as balanced as possible. “Modulift focused on not only both of the lifting beams, but also all the rigging to connect them together and attach to the crane—while the bottom rigging was supplied by another outsourced contractor.” A result like the one achieved in the
Harland and Wolff shipyard only motivates Modulift to remain on the cusp of a new age in heavy lifting. Armstrong believes this is just the tip of the iceberg. “Modulift intends to run alongside the industry’s ‘big boys.’ We want to remain experimental, but with safety at the forefront of our thinking. It will require commitment, dedication, bravery, and a little tenaciousness—which we have in spades.” And yes, that’s big talk from a 12-year-old
company, but as the industry is fi nding out, this isn’t a case of cautious optimism—this is a
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
case of forging ahead and creating opportunity through a range of well-engineered products and services. “Having a so called ‘one-stop- shop’ means that there is always somebody within the Modulift team available to go through specifi c requirements—shoring up safety concerns and double checking on span and load capacities,” Armstrong emphasized. Within that assortment of products, the standard array of spreader beams, frames, and bars have a load capacity up to 400 tons, and span up to 50 feet off the shelf. “Our distributors can off er next-day delivery around the world. Beams up to 1,000 tons can be produced to order within 2–4 weeks. And we have the overall capacity to provide solutions up to and exceeding 5,000 tons.” What also distinguishes Modulift is the ability to off er a full lifting kit solution, which streamlines the acquisition, and keeps costs down. Every sale comes with an off er of rig planning, assembly, and training services. An extensive range of struts, end units, drop links, cone adapters, shackles, and slings, with components being inter-changeable, optimizes future lifting options and saves time and money for customers. “As a relatively new company with a contemporary approach, ambition is high on the list of priorities at Modulift,” acknowledged Armstrong. “With this fresh instinct, we’ve been very forward-thinking in recognizing where our target markets land. Staples, such as oil and gas, construction, marine, and shipping continue to grow exponentially, while we continue to fi nd new
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84