Tests begin on giant gantry
9 November 2007I wonder if the Taisun gantry crane located at Chinese shipyard Yantai Raffles (YRS), Yantai, Shandong Province, which is named after a mountain in the province, is really the biggest in the world?
It's certainly a monster, standing 122m (400ft) high and 130m (426ft) long with two 4,800t deadweight lifting beams, each with a lifting capacity of 10,000t (22m lbs).
YRS reckons it's the biggest around and, judging by the above dimensions, I'm inclined to take their word for it. Would you suggest otherwise? If another crane comes close, where is it?
Dassault Systèmes, a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, teamed up with YRS to bring the crane, which is currently undergoing stringent testing and commissioning before full deployment at the turn of the year, to life.
Taisun is earmarked for 10 lifts over the next 20 months. Each lift is estimated at a massive 10,000-16,000t. The shipyard is expecting it to save over two million man hours for each semi-submersible.
Brian Chang, chairman, YRS, said: "With Taisun, YRS believes it has revolutionised the way major offshore projects will be built in the future."
Conventional methods of rig construction, often associated with complex integration issues and high cost, will be a thing of the past, YRS said. With vessels becoming more technologically-advanced and sophisticated, it is mission-critical that companies are supported by a highly-skilled engineering force, cutting-edge facilities and superior technology, it added.
Denis Georgeon, general manager, PLM channel China and South Asia, Dassault Systèmes, responded: "DS's PLM solutions link the whole value chain (vendors, manufacturers, operators, designers, testers) improving collaboration, reducing costs and increasing efficiencies."
He added: "With full digital mock-ups and standardised data formats, Yantai Raffles can outsource work to the best partners and suppliers and ensure strict quality control, design precision and other mission-critical elements in the end-to-end process of planning, designing, building and project management for each of the semi-submersibles and offshore vessels it builds."
Also of interest...
Earlier this week, South African firm Condra completed manufacture of an export order for 16 underslung hoists of various design, placed by the Codelco Copper Mine's Gaby Project in Chile.
The order, taken by Condra's Santiago-based agent Mantex SA, comprised a mix of five SH-Series units of various capacity, and 11 KSeries hoists modified to articulated specification.
The articulated hoists will be installed in crushing plant maintenance and service areas, where supporting i-beams will follow curved routes around and between water, fuel and gas pipes.
The recent shipment to Chile is the second batch of articulated hoists that Condra has supplied to the Codelco Copper Mine since 2005.
Lots more in the November issue, which should be landing on your desk soon.
Keep in touch,
Richard Howes, Editor
