Liebherr tower cranes in Chile

In Chile, the Vinci-Astaldi consortium (comprising airport authority Aéroports de Paris, airport developer Vinci Airports and Italian contractor Astaldi) is using 23 Liebherr tower cranes for the construction of a new terminal at the Santiago Nueva Pudahuel International airport in Chile.

The cranes comprise 15 flat-tops and three high-tops. Liebherr Chile has already erected seven 250 EC-B 12 Litronics, four 150 EC-B 8 Litronics and one 280 EC-H 16 Litronic. Six cranes from Chilean crane dealer Maquinarias Cruz del Sur are also already in use: one 280 EC-H 12 Litronic, two 200 EC-H 10 Litronics, and three 90 EC-B cranes.

The 18 tower cranes have a jib lengths of 45 to 60 m and hook heights of 17 to 45 m; they have been working on the construction site, partly in double shifts, since the end of 2016. To date approximately 70 percent of the airport has been completed. More Liebherr tower cranes will follow for the construction of the multi-storey car parks, says Liebherr, most likely a 110 EC-B 6 and two 154 EC-H cranes.

According to Liebherr, the location of a Liebherr branch, dealer Maquinarias Cruz del Sur, based in Santiago was a deciding factor for the Vinci-Astaldi consortium choosing to use Liebherr cranes.

In addition to the Liebherr tower cranes from its own fleet, Maquinarias Cruz del Sur is providing assembly, service and crane operators for all cranes, while Liebherr-Chile is providing a senior service technician to assist.

Liebherr says its Tower Cranes Solutions division advised the consortium on how to best utilise the cranes. The division had to take into consideration limitations on crane heights and confined working spaces. One solution the division effected was to place a flat-top 250 EC-B 12 Litronic on rails so that it can cover a larger part of the construction site. When it’s not in operation it can then be moved to a position where it can slew freely.

As an additional safety measure, all cranes are equipped with an anti-collision system from the French manufacturer AMCS Technologies.

Once finished, the airport will increase its total capacity to 30 million passengers per year, more than doubling its present number.