Italian industrial installation specialist Mintor used its new Liebherr LTM 1120-4.1 mobile crane for repair work at the Sarlux refinery on the south coast of Sardinia. Sarlux is one of the largest refineries on the Mediterranean.

The 120 tonne capacity LTM 1120-4.1 has a 66 metre long telescopic boom. Liebherr says that this is the longest telescopic boom in its four-axle class and that it enables the crane to hoist loads that were previously the domain of five- axle cranes.

At the refinery a hoist height of 58 metres was required for work on the flue emissions system. The crane was able to reach this hoist height without having to erect lattice extensions, which would normally have been necessary, said Liebherr.

The crane hoisted half-a-tonne at a radius of 18.4 metres using just 15.4 tonnes of ballast – around half the maximum possible counterweight.

The conditions at the refinery were constricted. This meant that using a compact four-axle mobile crane was a major benefit, Liebherr added, particularly with its VarioBallast and VarioBase functionalities.

Giorgio Aru, purchasing manager at Mintor, said, “We value the flexibility and reliability of the Liebherr 120 tonne crane. The precision of the crane movements is extremely important for working in oil and gas plants. High safety standards are essential for our company.”