Middle East Project round up

Amman, Jordan
Orient Heavy Haulage used several Faymonville trailers the transportation and installation of 295t engines for a tri-fuel power plant in the desert known as the IPP3 project. IPP3 will be the world's largest tri-fuel power plant capable of utilizing natural gas, heavy fuel oil and light fuel oil as its main fuels. The plant had a total of 38 Wärtsilä 50DF multi-fuel engines which were transported across the desert to by Orient Heavy Haulage.

Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
The Daelim Industrial Company from Saudi Arabia hired heavy lifting specialists Integrated Logistics Company of Ahmadi, Kuwait, to lift and position a 771t hydro treating reactor for the Yanbu Export Refinery. The reactor's height was 67m and the machine had a radius of 3m. The firm used a Terex CC 8800-1 crawler crane to hoist the reactor, used in the oil refining process, into position. One major task that the project had was transport as the sites location was remote. Altogether 67 flatbed, 20 low bed and two hydraulic trailers were required to make the 1,250km trip.

Once on site the crawler crane was configured with a 78m main boom for lifting the 67m tall reactor. Crews used the maximum 640t Superlift counterweight package with 295t counterweight on the superstructure and 60t central ballast. Counterweight radius for the tray was set at 25m. Two 800t hook blocks and one 1,000t Crosby shackle were used to lift the reactor, bringing the total weight lift requirements to 810t.

With a congested site that included other significant construction activity at the refinery, crews proceeded cautiously with the tandem lift. Working range during the lift ranged from 3m to a maximum 24m.

Doha, Qatar
Hyundai Engineering & Construction has used 12 Liebherr tower cranes to build the new National Museum of Qatar in Doha. The machines are being utilised primarily to maximise the use of on-the-ground prefabrication techniques.

The cranes are owned by Liebherr's distributor for Qatar, United Equipment Group, and are on rental to Hyundai as part of a two-and- a-half year agreement.

The units on site include several 12t capacity high top 280 EC-H 12 Litronics, 16 t capacity 280 EC-H 16 Litronics, 40 t 630 EH-H 40 Litronics, and two 1088 HC 40 on 1000 HC tower's, PLC controlled.

The museum structure is being built primarily from steel and concrete, formed into multiple interlocking disc-like 'petals' of various curvature and diameter. These are set at intersecting angles, some standing, others acting as support elements or lying horizontal, creating an uneven pile.

United Equipment Group had in conjunction with Hyundai designed a lifting operation that allowed the maximum use of prefabricated elements. The height of the cranes on site was limited, as the building lay directly under the flight path for Qatar Airport.

Shaybah, Saudi Arabia
Samsung Saudi Arabia, the main contractor for a new Saudi Aramco petrochemical plant in Shaybah, Saudi Arabia used a range of Mammoet equipment in the transportation and installation of an Amine Contactor weighing 1,048t.

The rental firm said that steep hills, narrow and winding roads, as well as the weight and size of the load and the hot climate meant that detailed planning was essential, the train weight including the trailers was 1,444t. The 1,080km route led across the desert, from Dammam Industrial Area to Shaybah. Most of the roads were narrow, sometimes only seven meters wide, with slopes of up to 8%.

The load was transported on Kamag and Goldhofer hydraulic trailers and ten prime movers. Describing the transportation the rental firm said that each hill was a challenge: going up with four trucks in front of the load and six behind, and changing over at the crest of the hill to six behind and four in front. It added that perfect coordination was required to prevent shock loads. The hydraulic suspension of the trailers had to be adjusted continuously at the crest of the hill to ensure an effective distribution of the load.

Fuel and water tankers, mobile accommodation and a workshop meant that the Mammoet team was completely self-supporting and able to complete this trip in just over five weeks. Mammoet said that independence from outside support was essential during the last 500k when there were no facilities at all.

Once at the plant in Shaybah it took half a day to install the column using two of Mammoet's heavy crawler cranes a Terex CC8800 and a Liebherr LR1600. The crew managed to finish the job before a sandstorm struck, avoiding delays to the project. Following the first column's installation the crew returned to collect the second column. Mammoet will transport a total of about 280 items of equipment and install them at the Shaybah plant.