Sarens wins oil refinery contract

Global heavy lift and transport company Sarens has received the heavy lift contract from Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR) to support the construction and expansion activities at an oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA.

Sven Janssens, operations manager at Sarens USA, said, “The expansion projects pose several unique challenges, including the need for two 1,600 tonne capacity cranes on site at the same time.”

Beginning this month, the contract includes the heavy lift and placement of two hydrocracker reactor vessels, the largest weighing 359.7 tonnes. Among other supporting equipment, the lifts will require a CC8800-1 crane with 84 metres of main boom and a superlift tray containing 640 tonnes of ballast weight. Sarens plans to use up to 14 qualified craftsmen to support the heavy lift activities.

“The main challenge for this contract,” said Sean Poynter, project estimator at Sarens USA, “is the site will be active at the time of our heavy lift and rigging operations. The crane must also be set back from the installation site to clear major plant equipment, so the combination of distance and reactor weight made the CC8800-1 the right crane for the job.”

With an estimated 10-month completion timeline, the contract includes the heavy lift and placement of 48 modules and two tower vessels. The heaviest pick for this new construction project is a 583 tonne depentanizer used in the oil refining industry.

To support this effort, Sarens will use a second CC8800-1 crane, complete with 96 metres of main boom and a superlift with 640 tonnes of ballast weight.