First Sanctuary Zone-fitted Snorkels go to Qatar
15 July 2013
The first Snorkel booms fitted with the Sanctuary Zone protection system have been delivered to a luxury yacht builder in Qatar.
Q-FAB, Snorkel’s official distributor in the State of Qatar, won an order for nine booms from Nakilat, which runs the Nakilat Damen Shipyard (NDSQ). The order comprises Snorkel T46JRT T80 and T120 telescopic booms, as well as an A46JRT articulated boom.
Q-FAB is the first Snorkel distributor to request the Sanctuary Zone overhead crushing protection system on behalf of its customers. Sanctuary Zone consists of a steel frame that helps protect the operator from being crushed between the platform and an overhead obstacle. Two pieces are side mounted on the guardrails to create a roll bar effect, with an overhead bar running between them to provide additional protection.
It weighs less than 25 kg and can be fitted to a platform in about 20 minutes. The curved steelwork ensures the 660 mm tall structure does not get caught on safety netting.
Mick Wright, director of Snorkel Middle East, said: “Q-FAB works hard to remain at the forefront of safe and efficient working at height. The work we carried out at Q-FAB’s request means that other distributors can now support their customers’ requirements for this type of additional safety system.”
Nakilat is a Qatari-owned marine company which provides the critical transportation link in the State of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply chain, oversees the activities of the shipyard, and provides additional services to vessels in Qatari waters. It owns the largest LNG shipping fleet in the world, consisting of 54 LNG vessels along with four Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs)
Roshan Mathew, senior sales manager for Q-FAB, said, “Thanks to Snorkel’s help to integrate and approve Sanctuary Zone for its boom lifts, we were able to win a substantial order with one of Qatar’s most prestigious companies.”
In June Q-FAB delivered a Snorkel S3246E electric slab scissor to Doha International Airport (DIA). The airport’s maintenance team already owns two Snorkel T85JRT booms and a rough terrain scissor. It also has an UpRight X33RT (now the Snorkel S3370RT) compact rough terrain scissor on long term hire. It also recently won an order for a Snorkel S2632E electric slab scissor lift from Qatar Petroleum for its warehouse operations in Raslaffan.
