Modulift’s MOD 250 Spreader Beam was at the centre of multiple plus-60-tonne lifts on a Nordex Wind Tower in Colombia for G2 Ocean.
Needing to lift the cylindrical Nordex TS105 wind tower sections from the Star Lysefjord vessel to Puerto Brisa, a small cargo terminal in the north of Colombia where most of the countries wind farms are located, the team at G2 Ocean were concerned about the safety of the operation due to its remote location and lack of infrastructure, according to Senior Equipment Manager, Richard Stannard.
“The nearest port was Santa Marta, but due to issues with road transport from the port to the project site – largely clearance issues under bridges, we had to rethink how to get the tower sections to the site,” he said. “Puerto Brisa was the next option but as it is a coal loading facility there were no cranes available at the terminal.”
To overcome this, the cranes on-board the ship were deployed to lift the Nordex TS105 tower sections, which measured in at 36m in length, 4.3m in diameter, and weighed approximately 63 tonnes. With its largest capacity crane on board holding a maximum rated capacity of 75 tonnes and the low headroom available requiring short rigging, Stannard, and the G2 Ocean team, came up with an innovative solution.
“The heavier sections were loaded further forward on the deck and unloaded using the ship’s cranes in tandem,” he said. “However, the upper sections could only be reached with one crane, which was achieved using the single 75-tonne crane.”
“There were limitations on the allowable sling angle at the load,” he continued. “We needed a 45-degree angle on the slings above the spreader beam.”
Factoring in the necessities of the job, G2 Ocean rigged the MOD250 Spreader Beam at 18m, with a safe-working-limit of 91 tonnes and a 45-degree angle. Using a modular spreader beam also sped up the turnaround time – with the longest strut at only 6 metres and total component weight of 4mt, G2 Ocean were able to airfreight the beam to Colombia, transport it by road and easily assemble it on-site. According to Modulift’s Managing Director Sarah Spivey, the UK-based rigging and lifting equipment company is “well positioned” to cope with the “surge in demand for renewable energy sources”, and the G2 Ocean job was emblematic of that.
“G2 Ocean’s project presented several challenges which Modulift was able to help overcome,” she said. “We were pleased G2 Ocean could deliver on this project safely and efficiently with the help of our products.”
Modulift was established in 2002 and produces a comprehensive range of lifting and spreader beams, spreader frames, and other custom below the hook lifting equipment. Its products are distributed in Australia by both Bullivants and Maxirig.
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