Sarens in 750 tonne column lift

International crane and transport specialist Sarens chose a Terex CC 9800 lattice boom crawler crane to load support columns onto a vessel for an offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The columns were loaded at Rostock Port in Germany.

The CC 9800 is based on the existing CC 8800-1 and uses the same machine components as the larger CC 8800-1 Twin lattice boom crawler crane. Its maximum load moment is given by the manufacturer as 26,930 tonne-metres. Capacity using 800 tonnes of superlift counter weight is 1,122 tonnes at 24 metres radius.

To complete the lifts the crane was set up in SSL configuration with 66 m of main boom. The counterweight on the superstructure weighed 235 tonnes.

A platform made of concrete, steel plates and wooden planks was constructed on the wharf at Rostock to stabilise the work area for the crane. A path for the counterweight carrier, which was loaded with 640 tonnes, was also set up in a semi-circle around the platform.

“We had to load two different types of piles onto the transport vessel: Pile 1 had a length of 40 metres, a diameter of 3.5 metres, and a weight of 400 tonnes; pile 2 was significantly heavier and larger with a length of 70 metres, a diameter of 3.9 metres, and a weight of 750 tonnes,” said Hendrik Sanders, Sarens project manager.

To balance the piles, a spreader was mounted on the CC 9800’s hook block. This enabled the crane to pick up the piles in a stable horizontal position, swing them within a 90 degree radius, and deposit them safely on the transport vessel, the company said.

The crane will be performing these lifts until the wind farm is completed, which is expected to be in 2013.