Dragados Offshore used three Manitowoc crawler cranes to lift sections of an offshore platform under construction in Cadiz, Spain.

Dragados rented a 600t capacity Manitowoc Model 18000 for 10 lifts, including the biggest, three 350t (771,750 lb) turbo-generators, from Spanish crane rental firm Aguado. The crane was rigged with 61m (200ft) of main boom and 48m (160ft) of luffing jib, with a 450t-capacity hook block. It also carried an extra 210t of counterweight in the tray of a MAX-ER attachment.

“Safety was a very important factor for our customer on this job,” said Juan Aguado Sr, general manager of Aguado.

“The lift was planned for the day when the lowest wind speeds were expected and two surveyors monitored the whole four-and-a-half hour lift using laser guidance systems.”

“The factors of safety were extremely high, but they proved no problem for the Model 18000,” he said. Even the biggest lift used only 63% of the Model 18000’s capacity when it was lifted at 22m radius.

In addition to the rented Model 18000, it used its own 320t capacity Manitowoc Model 7000 as well as two 200t Model 4100Ws for other lifting work.

The platform, under construction in Cabezuela Bay, Cadiz, is a liquefied natural gas plant, to be called Adriatic LNG. Owners ExxonMobil (45%), Qatar Terminals (45%) and Edison SpA (10%) are planning to install the platform in the Adriatic sea, 15km (9 mi) off the coast of Italy. Dragados Offshore is a subcontractor of project manager Aker Kvaerner.

Dragados chose the 18000 because of long-term familiarity with the brand, Aguado Sr says. “They still have their own Manitowoc crawler cranes at their Cadiz facility and they know well the quality, strength and reliability of the brand.”


Modules scheduled to be lifted are offloaded from quayside and transported to the assembly area on self-propelled modular trailers Moving modules The Manitowoc Model 18000 (right) rolls back after successfully tandem-lifting the unit with the Model 7000 (left) Roll-back Manitowoc Model 7000 working in Cadiz Manitowoc Model 7000 working in Cadiz Manitowoc 18000 working in Cadiz Manitowoc 18000 working in Cadiz A Manitowoc Model 18000 (right) and Model 7000 tandem lift a module for an offshore platform Crawlers team up to lift module