Grove’s Russian distributor KwintMadi has delivered ten all-terrain GMK 5100s to one of the remotest parts of Siberia.
The cranes have been put to work in Surgut, home to one of the richest oil and gas-fields in the world, with 10,000 wells producing more than 42 million tonnes of oil a year. It is 2,500km from Moscow and the only access is by rail or by air. Temperatures vary from -40°C in winter to +30°C in summer.
On receiving the order from the engineering authority Surgutneftygas, Grove engineers in Germany had to consider not only the cold-climate protection requirements, but also how to get the cranes to Surgut. They were scheduled to arrive in the winter months and had to be transported the final 2,000km by rail, a journey taking three weeks. Wheels and superstructure cabs had to be removed to negotiate the narrow tunnel and bridge systems on the Russian railway network.
Within three hours of arriving in Surgut, the first of the GMK 5100s was ready to go to work, and all 10 of the cranes are now at work in the oilfield.
KwintMadi chairman Dr Victor Sokolov said: ‘We are delighted with the detailed technical support which we received from Grove, both in refining the specifications and resolving the difficult transportation problems, and subsequently in the on-site support.’
