OIL AND GAS Ӏ SECTOR REPORT
j be lifted off the trailers and
installed directly upon arrival at the site.
The three turbines, each
weighing 528 tonnes and measuring 13.6m long, 6.1m wide and 6m high, and their three gas turbine generators, each weighing up to 395t and measuring 11m long, 5.8m wide and 5.2m high, were delivered to the site, safely crossing beneath the bridge with around 10 cm to spare. They were then lifted off the
trailers and directly installed onto their foundations using Mammoet’s gantry. Mammoet also used its 1,250t
and two 400t crawler cranes for the installation of other components on the project, including 45 modules for a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG). Each module, weighing up to 338t, needed to be lifted out of its shipping frame before being installed inside the HRSG unit. Located in Fujairah's Qidfa
area, between the existing Fujairah F1 and Fujairah F2 water and electricity plants, the Fujairah F3 will be able to power the equivalent of 380,000 households once operational. It will incorporate advanced ‘JAC’- class gas turbine technology and will utilise the most efficient combined cycle technology in the region.
MOBILE CRANE DEMAND Saudi Arabia is, of course, a key player in the oil and gas field. Liebherr in December 2022 shipped no fewer than 18 of its mobile cranes to Saudi-owned Gulf Haulage Heavy Lift (GHHL). The cranes are of up to 300t
capacity and include six rough- terrain cranes and 12 all-terrains. The new cranes will expand the Saudi Arabian crane and transport company's fleet of cranes between 100 and 300 tonnes lifting capacity.
38 CRANES TODAY
shut-down work down under
Grove all-terrains also are well represented in the oil and gas sector. Two more of them have joined antipodean fl eet operators Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift to work on a major Australian LNG plant turnaround. The project is at one of the world’s largest, most complex processing plants, the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG facility near Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory.
For the fi rst stage, the shut-down (which took place in 2021) Tutt Bryant
sent a fl eet of eight mobile cranes mostly made up of Grove all-terrains in a mix of four-, fi ve- and six-axle machines: a GMK4090, two 100 GMK4100L-1 units, a 95t GMK5095, a 130t GMK5130-2, a 150t GMK5150L, and two 300t GMK6300L cranes. They covered multiple tasks with Manitowoc providing two on-site technicians to ensure maximum uptime. For the second stage, in 2022, the new cranes – a GMK6400 and a GMK5250XL-1 – provided added lifting power. “We carefully selected this fl eet to provide a good mix of capacities for
maximum fl exibility, with their class-leading boom lengths providing optimised access to all areas of the plant,” said Rob West, senior divisional manager at Tutt Bryant. “We added the new models for extra capacity, fl eet refreshment, and to provide more versatility. The long-boom GMK5250XL-1 means it can take on work where we previously relied on larger cranes. We purchased the GMK6400 because we knew we could use it for some heavier tasks, but we also knew we’d get good utilisation from it in the future.” Of particular value to the project was the Grove GMK5250XL-1, which
launched in 2019. It offers the longest boom of any fi ve-axle crane, a 78.5m, eight-section Megaform boom, but this can be made longer still with an 8m extension or with an 11.2m or 17.8 m swingaway jib plus 8 m jib extension. All these options mean that 33.8 m of additional reach is possible. The crane can handle 9.9 t when the standard boom arrangement is at maximum height, or 1.3 t when at maximum working radius of 74m. “The lifts we undertook on the turnaround are all well within the capabilities of the cranes,” said West. “But it was vital that work progressed smoothly as there were a lot of picks to perform so the plant could get back online as soon as possible. We’ve been really pleased with the reliability of the Grove cranes, as well as their speed, fl exibility, and manoeuvrability.” Adding pressure on the cranes was the extreme heat and humidity of the
area, plus a requirement for them to fi t the 24/7 work schedule. The cranes have air-conditioned cabs. If any issues arose one of the two Manitowoc technicians was on hand to offer support, keeping unexpected stoppages to a minimum. “I can’t speak highly enough of those technicians,” said West. “On the project there are no cell phones allowed. We expected this to cause some delays with service, but the Manitowoc guys have found solutions in minutes, rather than hours.”
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