Mammoet has used its 5,000 tonne SK350 crane to replace four coke drums at a Texas City, refinery south east of Houston, near Galveston, Texas.
The size of the crane proved a real time saver as it was able to lift out the 740 tonne, 53 metre high derrick to gain access to the coking drums without disassembling it or carrying out extensive preparation for lifting. Once out of the way the crane was able to lift out the old 270 tonne drums and then replace them with the new ones each weighing 448 tonnes. The derrick was then lifted back into position.
Each of the eight coke drums was lifted on the SK’s 600 tonne runner and auxiliary hook, the job carried out in two, 12 hour shifts a day, with all 10 lifts completed well ahead of schedule in spite of several days of bad weather including strong winds and heavy fog.
Mammoet project manager, Sidney King said: “Using the world’s strongest land based crane, Mammoet’s international team which included six nationalities led the coke drum replacement project to a successful conclusion. With zero recordables and despite some weather downtime, the SK350 was able to complete all the client’s lifts days ahead of their planned schedule, giving the turnaround an opportunity for an ahead of schedule completion.”
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