SPMTs transport fully rigged heavy lifter

Mammoet was awarded the contract to supply a PTC-DS (double stacked) super heavy lift crane to build one of the largest power stations in Europe, located in Neurath, Germany.

The new brown coal-fired power plant consists of two identical power units of 1,100 MW each.

Due to the height of the power plant, the PTC-DS had to be modified with a 134.6 m main boom and an additional 69.3m jib, totaling 203.9 m. Basic maximum capacity of the PTC-DS is 1,600 tonnes, with a load moment of 33,705 tonne-metres. The crane and boom reached a tip height of 207.7 m.

"With that it even dwarfed the famous 157 m high Kölner Dom [Cathedral] in nearby Cologne [Köln]," says the company.

A challenge was the relocation of the fully rigged PTC-DS from Block F to Block G. Following an emergency situation at the power plant during its construction, the work was re-scheduled and the crane was returned to its original location at Block F, which was in a later stage of construction.

Mammoet's ring-based cranes are designed to be relocated using purpose built self-propelled modular transporters or SPMTs. In this case 100 axle lines were positioned underneath the ring of the crane for its relocation. Total transport weight of the PTC-DS crane, excluding the SPMTs, was 2,080 tonnes.