Mammoet erects tallest gantry ever in Europe

The crane had been built by Van Haagen Kraanbouw in the Netherlands and transported to the fabrication site of Bilfinger Mars Offshore.

This Goliath crane represents the tallest crane ever built by the company in Europe. In order to install it, Mammoet constructed a tailor-made construction gantry with a height of 127m.

Gantries usually raise loads from an overhead beam between two supporting towers, but this project was unique because of the load.

The crane was assembled around the gantry before it was raised into place. Hence the gantry was at the center of the construction and was used to accurately raise the Goliath crane onto its legs.

At this stage of construction the Goliath crane had a weight of 1,200t and its four legs were tailed. The main crane girders were raised by the gantry, dealing with four additional points and affecting the forces on the gantry and its stability.

Now installed on its wheel sets, the Goliath represents one of the largest gantry cranes in Europe, standing over 120m with a total weight of 1,800t and a lifting capacity of 1,400t. This state-of-the-art gantry crane will be used at the Bilfinger Mars Offshore production site to support the fabrication of steel offshore foundations, including transition pieces, jackets and monopiles and to load them onto pontoons.

Mammoet engineered the 127m high gantry especially for this project. It consisted of 95% standard components and 5% custom-designed equipment. The combination of creative engineering with a large and flexible collection of equipment enabled Mammoet to carry out an unusual, technically challenging lift, which was tailormade for the customer’s requirements, the company says.