Africa projects round up

Accra, Ghana
UK-based crane dealer Paterson Simons has sold a Grove GMK6400 all terrain crane to Mobicrane, representing the first of its kind to be used in Africa.

Mobicrane supplies lifting equipment to the mining, oil and gas service industries in Ghana and the surrounding region. The crane was handed over to the company by Paterson Simons in Wilhelmshaven, Germany and as well as being the first GMK6400 in Africa, is also the largest new mobile crane sold by the dealer.

Paterson Simons also sent a senior engineer to Germany for model-specific rigging and diagnostic training, with further training conducted in Ghana. The company specialises in the sales and service of lifting and handling equipment, focusing on the shipping, mining and construction sectors in West Africa.

Cambambe, Angola
Brazilian construction firm used three Linden-Comansa tower cranes, including one leased from Portuguese-based distributor Ibergru, for a dam upgrade in Cambambe, Angola. By increasing the dam's height by 20m, Odebrecht will help to increase the capacity of its four generators from 45MW each to 65MW.

The extension required more than 65,000 cu m of concrete. Odebrecht chose to use 45t 21LC750s from its own fleet, as well as an 18t 21LC400 leased from Ibergru, recently appointed as Linden Comansa's exclusive distributor for Angola (both Brazil and Angola are Portuguese-speaking countries).

The first 21LC750 was located on the left bank of the Kwanza River, erected with fixing angles on a special concrete foundation which, given its short width, was anchored to a rock on the river bank. It was mounted with a freestanding height of 78.8 metres, the maximum possible height with 2.5-metre-wide mast sections (fourteen D36 sections), and a jib length of 80 metres.

On the right bank, a second 21LC750 was erected with a freestanding height of 87.2 metres, achieved with 12 sections D36 - as her "sister" in the left margin - increased by three 5-metre-wide D56 sections at its bottom. Another concrete foundation was anchored on the riverside to allow this crane's assembly on fixing angles.

After a year and a half working in concreting and materials lifting tasks, the first 21LC750 (left bank) was relocated within the jobsite and substituted by a 21LC400 from Ibergru's rental fleet, which was erected with a freestanding height of 80 metres and a jib length of 70 metres. This crane was assembled on the same fixing angles of the previous 21LC750, so it was necessary to have two transition sections in order to allow the progression from the 4 metre-wide fixing angles to the 2.5-metre-wide D33 mast section.

The relocated 21LC750 is currently working on the construction of the power house (or power generation centre) where it was assigned to moving precast segments up to 19 tonnes of weight for the new water tunnels, as well as lifting and placing all the electromechanical gear that will allow the production of energy, such as turbines and generator sets.

The assembly and jacking-up of the first 21LC750 was performed by Linden Comansa's technical assistance service team, while the remaining assemblies, jacking-ups and technical service was entrusted to Ibergru.

Saldanha Bay, South Africa
Heavy lift company ALE has provided port operations, transportation, offloading and installation preparations of 47 wind turbines at a wind farm project near Saldanha Bay Port in the Western Cape region of South Africa. The onshore wind farm, called West Coast 1 Project, was developed by Aurora Wind Power.

For the port operations, ALE used a 250t crawler crane, a 90t mobile crane, a 40t mobile crane, a telehandler and three trailers to conduct the vessel discharge.

To transport the generators, four axle lines of extendable trailers were used for the blades, and a further eight lines for the towers and nacelle.

Main installation used a 130t-250t mobile cranes and a telehandler.

Christo van der Merwe, ALE's account manager for the company's South Africa branch which specialists in the wind energy sector, said: "The wind energy market is a particularly busy industry for us and the region as a whole. We have been continually awarded project work within this sector across South Africa and have been involved in eight wind energy projects."

Johannesburg, South Africa
The South African division of heavy lift specialist Sarens has lifted a Boeing 737- 300 aircraft across a highway. The crane company used its LTM1400, AC500 and AC200 hydraulic cranes to lift the 25t aeroplane, which had its engines removed and portions of the wings and tail clipped, making the vehicle 33.35m long, 18m wide and 5m high.

The 737-300, which was moved on behalf of South African aviation company Comair, was transported from the OR Tambo International Airport across the R21 highway in Kempton Park, to the Comair training centre where it will be used as a real-life evacuation trainer. The project took place overnight, with several roads temporarily closed including the main access route to the airport.

Glen Warden, commercial operations manager for Comair, said: "This operation is the first ever of its sort in South Africa, probably even in Africa. The project co-ordination between the various parties has been paramount. Especially the professionalism and operation excellence shown by the Sarens

Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Crane company Vanguard used a Grove GTK1100 to complete a wind turbine project in South Africa, erecting 20 turbines each standing at 85m tall. The Grassridge Wind Farm, near Port Elizabeth, is operated by international wind turbine manufacturer Vestas. The manoeuvrability of the GTK1100 helped Vanguard to run to the tight deadline of the project, which required two wind turbines to be erected every week. The crane comprised a wheeled carrier and luffing telescopic boom, connected by a 265ft, six-section telescopic mast. Before the project ended, Vestas contracted Vanguard to work on its following job, a 138MW farm in the Western Cape.