Tailor-Made Tower Crane for Aibel Yard in Haugesund (Norway)

Since the spring of 2021, the Aibel yard, located in the Norwegian town of Haugesund, has had a Comansa 21LC1050 tower crane (with a 50-tonne capacity) which, as is usual in this type of facility, has been adapted to the customer´s needs through a detailed customisation process. Initially, this tower crane worked on the construction of the Johan Sverdrup Prosess Platform  Phase 2 (JSP2), Aibel’s largest project to date.

In general, tower cranes for yards must respond to special needs, more demanding than those of purely construction projects: rails to move from one point to another (this is not the crane´s current assembly, but there is the possibility of both configurations: fixed or on rails), special paint to protect the crane against corrosion due to its proximity to the sea, total impermeability of all the crane´s components due to weather conditions and proximity to the sea, LED lighting in the work area, cabins equipped with extras to allow working 24 hours per day, a lift, versatility to adapt to different projects, etc. 

Comansa and the Rental Group Crane AS technical team have responded with success and agility to Aibel´s specific needs.

Key aspects:

• To meet the demands of the project (facilitate worker and vehicle transit and withstand the 400 tonnes per corner that originate from a crane of more than 90 metres, in a D25 wind zone) Rental Group Crane AS has assembled a portal of 10 metres reinforced, built by Comansa for Aibel. It includes the possibility of using it in two variants: with translation and supported with levelling spindles.
• Due to the shipyard´s geographical location, close to the North Sea, the crane is designed to withstand wind pressure in pursuant to European D25 standards.
• To protect it against inclement weather, special protection elements and materials have been used, as well as 250-micron paint to prevent corrosion.
• 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 pursuant to the EN14439 standard, counterweights protected with galvanised steel frames, stainless steel electrical cabinet, activation of the wind-release system from the base of the crane, among others.
• Thanks to its ease of assembly and less 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 shipyard. The Aibel yard lent its facilities and helped to pre-assemble the necessary parts (which arrived in 32 lorries). For the assembly, a 500-tonne mobile crane with a height of 115 metres was used. The heaviest piece to assemble was 23 tonnes. Once the foundation was laid and the portal installed, the crane was assembled in just two days.
• The 21LC1050´s 80 metre boom length has made it possible to reach the entire platform with a single tower crane.
• The tower cranes are being used to lift very different loads, the heaviest being 20-tonne containers onto the platform, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
• 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´s technical service is only two hours from Aibel and can provide parts such as moving or electrical elements, in addition to support. Rental Group Crane AS has similar cranes so the 21LC1050 facilitates synergies between other cranes in its fleet. Comansa can also provide other types of special parts in just one day.

Crane installation: March 2021.

Customer: Aibel Haugesund AS

Key partner: Rental Group Crane AS