In May 2020, Auckland Cranes was contracted by Culham Engineering to lift and shift a 41.2 tonne tank (Tank 23) from Stolthaven’s Auckland (Wynyard Viaduct) storage facility and place it onto a McCallum Bros motorised barge.
After assessing the site, the Auckland Cranes team identified several factors to take into consideration when preparing the lifting plan including a tight space for operation, underground services, potential for boom deflection and a possibility of wind gusts. Located at a busy port terminal, the certainty, efficiency and safety of the lift were of utmost importance.
The lifting plan was developed and provided to all relevant parties. Auckland Cranes decided the best equipment for the lift was a Grove GMK 7450 Crane (rated up to 450 tonnes) and fitted with a GMK Mega-Wing (guyed boom support system) to be placed on the approved location. This configuration was deployed and to take into account underground services and reduce ground pressure, double crane pads (9 m2) were placed under the outriggers for the lift.
The Grove GMK 7450 was set with full 160T counter weight and to aid in the setup, Auckland Cranes also deployed a 50-tonne crane to site to place the Mega-Wing on the 450 main boom.
As per the lifting plan, a 60-tonne SWL lifting frame was used between the tank rigging and the crane hook. The spreader was provided by Culham Engineering and Auckland Cranes provided the balance of the rigging equipment.
Starting early in the day, Auckland Cranes lifted the tank and place it successfully on the barge.
During the lift, Tank 23 was lifted off eight of the hold down stools located around the base of the tank. In addition to this, a ‘spud’ barge provided by Heron was used to provide stable mooring for the Kapua during the loading of Tank 23.
Once the tank was loaded on the barge it was temporarily secured and the barge moved around to Wynyard Wharf for final lashing and marine survey.
Overall the lift was a success and completed safely and efficiently without any issues to the satisfaction of our clients.
