Each turbine weighed 192t (425,000 lbs), measured 10m (34ft) long and 4m (14ft) in diameter. Crane Rental Corporation used an Oshkosh prime mover and 12 axle lines of their Goldhofer heavy haul trailers.
The ship’s crew ballasted the vessel and lifted the turbines off the ship with the ship’s crane. Water had to be taken on and flushed out of the ship’s ballast tanks each time a turbine was moved, because the turbines were so heavy that they affected the boat’s centre of gravity. Ballasting operations took approximately 90 minutes for each turbine. The Crane Rental crew directed the ship crane to centre each turbine on beams on top of the Goldhofer trailers.
Transportation of the turbines from the dock to the lay-down yard was tricky. The route passed through a power plant undergoing a major upgrade, where there was little room for error. Once at the lay-down yard, the Goldhofer trailer was raised up on its hydraulic jacks. Stools were inserted under the overhanging ends of the beams, and the trailer lowered the turbines on to the stools. All four turbines were moved in one day, half the time allowed.
A tricky turbine haul for Crane Rental Corporation A tricky turbine haul for Crane Rental Corporation
