Comansa and the Rental Group Crane AS technical team have responded with success and agility to the specific needs of Aibel’s yard.
Comansa tower cranes are an excellent solution in facilities where the movement of materials is necessary and constant, such as in ports and yards. This time, the vast experience and involvement of Comansa and the technical team of its Norwegian distributor Rental Group AS have been reflected in Haugesund (Norway), with a bespoke 21LC1050 for the Aibel yard.
Tower cranes for yards must meet stricter requirements than in construction projects (arising from closeness to the sea, weather conditions, transit of vehicles and persons, and the fact that they are used for various projects).
This has been achieved by Comansa and the Rental Group Crane AS technical team for Aibel, with success and agility.
The result is a Comansa 21LC1050 tower crane (with a 50t capacity) adapted to the customer’s needs by means of a detailed customisation process. Initially, this tower crane worked on the construction of the Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 (JSP2) process platform, Aibel’s biggest project to date, and it has been used to lift very different loads 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Its 80m boom length has made it possible to reach the entire platform with a single tower crane.
Reinforced portal
To meet the demands of the project (withstand the 400t per corner that originate from a crane of more than 90m, in a D25 wind zone, and facilitate worker and vehicle transit) Comansa built a reinforced portal of 10m, which was assembled by its Norwegian distributor in the yard.
Furthermore, the portal means it can be used in two ways: with movement on rails so it can be transported from one side to another and supported with levelling screws.
Designed to withstand
inclement weather
Due to the yard’s geographical location, close to the North Sea, the tower crane is designed to with stand wind pressure pursuant to European D25 standards.
Furthermore, to protect it against inclement weather, Comansa has used special protection elements and materials, as well as 250-micron paint to prevent corrosion.
Safety equipment
The tower crane is equipped with numerous options to guarantee safety at all times: vision camera on the trolleys to view the loads and the environment more safely, alarm signals, high-luminosity LED lights on the boom for the area workstations with on/off from the ground, signalling lights, counterweights protected with galvanised steel frames, stainless steel electrical cabinet, and activation of the wind-release system from the base of the crane, among others.
Flat-Top design
Thanks to its ease of assembly and smaller space requirement, Comansa’s flat-top design has made it possible to overcome the logistical challenges arising from installation in a small (600–700 square metre) and windy space like the Norwegian yard.
The Aibel yard lent its facilities and helped to pre-assemble the necessary parts (which arrived on 32 trucks). For the assembly, a 500t mobile crane with a height of 115m was used. The heaviest piece to assemble was 23t.
Once the foundation was laid and the portal installed, the crane was assembled in just two days.Technical service
The speed when it comes to having spare parts and being able to move the crane to another point in the yard to undertake new projects is essential.
Rental Group Crane AS’s technical service is only two hours from Aibel and can provide parts such as moving or electrical elements, in addition to support. Comansa can also provide other types of special parts within just one day.