Cream of the crop

Amazing lifting and specialised transportation work is being carried out on a daily basis across Europe. ESTA, the European association for the abnormal road transport and mobile crane rental industry, celebrates this work at its annual awards ceremony, the ESTA Awards, which this year took place at the end of April in at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, Noordwijk, near Amsterdam in The Netherlands. The Covid pandemic meant this was only the second inperson event since 2019.

Companies from eight different European countries were among the winners of ten awards in one of the most competitive competitions the organisation has seen. And what better way to showcase the best of what’s been happening in Europe than shining the spotlight on the winners?

1. COMBINED TECHNIQUES

WINNER: Friderici Spécial SA

Switzerland-based specialised transport company Friderici Spécial transported a 74 tonne transformer from Regensburg, Germany, to Zürich, Switzerland, for its clients SGB-SMIT Transformatoren Schweiz AG and EWZ. The move involved the use of a telescopic crane, a five-axle Portuguese special transport company Laso Transportes used a Goldhofer Blade Lifter solution to transport windmill blades up to 82 metres in length through small villages and via narrow curved roads in the Algarve, Portugal. The job was for the Barao de Sao Joao windfarm. modular trailer, plus it required skidding and jacking techniques to successfully complete the job. Challenges included extremely tight entry into the substation with only a few centimetres margin, a slope of 15%, and a tight spot for the foundation setting operation.

2. TRANSPORT, TRAILER AND LOAD UNDER 120 TONNES GROSS WEIGHT

WINNER: Laso Transportes

Portuguese special transport company Laso Transportes used a Goldhofer Blade Lifter solution to transport windmill blades up to 82 metres in length through small villages and via narrow curved roads in the Algarve, Portugal. The job was for the Barao de Sao Joao windfarm.

modular trailer, plus it required skidding and jacking techniques to successfully complete the job. Challenges included extremely tight entry into the substation with only a few centimetres margin, a slope of 15%, and a tight spot for the foundation setting operation. In addition to the coordination and planning necessary for the success of this project, LASO says its investments in new equipment have been key in keeping it at the forefront of the industry.

As well as transporting the largest blade ever transported by a Blade Lifter in the Iberian Peninsula the company also used its new LIFTAD-100 special lift adaptors for the Nooteboom’s Mega Windmill Transporter, specially developed to transport large sections of towers and nacelles.

3. CRANE JOB OF THE YEAR [TELESCOPIC], LIFTING CAPACITY MORE THAN 120 TONNES

WINNER: BMS

Danish lifting specialist BMS changed the crane setup from a single-lift to a tandem-lift during the positioning of a 95 tonne steel bridge whilst the lifting operation was actually in progress. According to BMS this solution significantly reduced the required crane capacity and necessary crane positionining preparation.

4. SAFETY

WINNER: Fagioli

Italian heavy lifting and transportation specialist Fagioli developed a seafastening system, based on a strand jack system, for the safe and secure sea transportation of two STS cranes from Malta to Marseille. The cranes had large dimensions and weighed 1650 tonnes. This required the cranes’ gantries to be equipped with steel brackets and lugs welded to the cranes. The brackets were for SPMT bearing points and the lugs in order to attach 2.5 tonne bracings that attached the STS cranes to the ship deck. In total, 12 seizure points were welded to maintain each gantry. All moving parts that could deteriorate during transport were safely secured before the big departure. The STS cranes were reinforced at the boom and in the transverse direction to avoid any structural deterioration during the three day sea transfer.

5. INNOVATION

WINNER: Fagioli

For maintenance purposes, a movable strand jack solution was developed to lift up a series of concrete viaducts, weighing 1,400 tonnes each. Fagioli called the system the BMM 14000 (Bridge Maintenance Machine) system. A combination of 24 axle lines of SPMT, Crosshead Beams and 300 tonne capacity strand jacks allowed the movement onto the bridge in order to reach the designated position for take in the load with special lifting beams hooked up from the river bed and brought into contact with the deck beams by utilising the strand’s 12 metre run.

6. CRANE JOB OF THE YEAR [TELESCOPIC], LIFTING CAPACITY UNDER 120 TONNES

WINNER: Hareket

For the Bogaziçi University/Hisarüstü- Asiyan Funicular Line project in Istanbul, Turkey, which is used by thousands of Istanbulites every day, a set of 22-metrelong wagons weighing 23 tonnes each had to be installed underground via a narrow shaft. Turkish heavy lifting and transportation service provider Hareket. The company's general manager Abdullah Altunkum stepped up to received the award on behalf of Hareket.

7. TRANSPORT, TRAILER AND LOAD OVER 120 TONNES GROSS WEIGHT

WINNER: MTD

Skuratowicz For the transport of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) from Opole to Babica in Poland, a route of 750 kilometres via Warsaw was the only feasible option. The TBM weighed 500 tonnes and was dismantled into nearly 100 components for the purpose of the transport which took place over 15 nights.

On winning the award MTD Skuratowicz said, “We are very proud that we have won the award for the best oversized transport in Europe!

"This is an extraordinary distinction for us and a huge dose of motivation for further development. There is no denying that it is a huge success for us as a company, but also for oversize transport in Poland.”

8. LATTICE BOOM CRANE JOB OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Mammoet

Using its Move3D precision planning software Mammoet was able to visualise the lifting solution for a 430 tonne filter unit in a confined plant space in advance to determine the best approach. The software utilised a 3D point cloud scan to create a digital model of the location. This model then enabled Mammoet to ensure that there was enough room for its PTC35-DS crane to lift and install the filter in one piece. In addition, Move3D provided full ground bearing pressure readings for underneath the crane.

9. SPMT|SPT JOB OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Mammoet

Mammoet used 748 axle lines of SPMT and 30 power packs to move the 20,300 tonne FPSO vessel Curlew into a decommissioning and recycling facility in Norway. The project was a double world-first for both the largest number of axle lines and the heaviest weight carried by SPMT

10. TRAINING

WINNER: Liebherr – Werk Ehingen

A new standard has been set up to train crane operators [up to ECOL-level], dispatchers and workshop staff. The extensive programs involve e-learning modules, live-stream sessions and faceto- face training courses and have a strong focus on improving safety in the industry.