ALE lifts ship

Heavy lift and transportation specialist ALE said it has lifted a replica of the ship commanded by explorer Captain James Cook for his voyage to Australia and New Zealand using its Liebherr LR1750 crawler crane.

The ship  is one of just two full-scale replicas in the world. Weighing 274 tonnes, it needed to be moved from its current berth at Stockton-on-Tees and lifted over a lock. ALE was contracted for the project and said it worked closely with the lock’s owner.

The job took place over two days. To lift the vessel, a team of divers fitted lifting equipment and heavy straps below the hull before ALE hoisted it 5 metres to clear the top of the lock. ALE used a 750 tonne crane with a 63-metre-long boom and 42 metre back mast.

“We are proud to be involved in such a landmark and prestigious project, providing the heavy lifting, ballasting and mooring,” said Jonathan Brown, project engineer for ALE. “This is a technically challenging project, with low bridges and a narrow lock to negotiate. After discussing different methodologies, we engineered a time-efficient solution that meant the ship could pass under the bridges and be lifted over the lock.”