29.05.2024

1,600t Tadano for Monadelphous

Australian engineering contractor Monadelphous has taken delivery of a new 1,600 tonne Tadano CC 88.1600-1 lattice crawler crane, the largest crane in its fleet so far. It has been given the name Rubino, in honour of the company’s former chairman John Rubino.

The CC 88.1600-1 is essentially the Demag CC88000 and can be rigged for a maximum tip height of 240 metres and can handle its maximum capacity at a radius of 10 metres. The unit can also be rigged with Tadano’s Boom Booster kit.
Monadelphous’ new CC 88.1600-1 with 60 tonnes on the hook…

…A 220 tonne Tadano AC 5.220L-1

The new crane was shipped to Western Australia for its first job at the Car Dumper 3 project in Port Hedland, Western Australia. Monadelphous has been commissioned by BHP to remove, refurbish and reinstall two car dumper cells at the Nelson Point facility. (If you do not know what a Car Dumper is check out the video at the end of this article)

The new crane was the star at a launch and naming ceremony attended by Tadano chief executive Toshiaki Ujiie along with Monadelphous staff and customers.
Employees and customers at the naming ceremony


The company said: We are thrilled to unveil ‘Rubino’, our newest and largest crane in the Monadelphous fleet! Rubino has an impressive load capacity of 1,600 tonnes, capable of lifting the equivalent of three Boeing 747 airplanes at a radius of 42 metres! With a total of 1,155 tonnes of counterweight, it can lift more than any other crane currently in Australia. Commissioned for the Car Dumper 3 project in Port Hedland, Rubino will play a pivotal role in support of our operations, positioning Monadelphous to leverage new opportunities and deliver to our customers.”

Monadelphous was set up in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in 1972 as Contract Engineering Associates (CEA) to provide general mechanical contracting services to Australia’s mining industry.

The name Monadelphous was adopted in 1978 after which the company expanded into a number of new markets, across Australia and overseas. In 1987 the company almost failed and underwent a major restructuring with one of its shareholders UGL owned by John Robino leading the rescue. What was intended as a temporary measure lasted 30 years. Its shares were traded on the Australian Stock Exchange’s main board in 1990. Today the company provides construction, maintenance and industrial services to some of the largest companies in the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors.

John Battista Robino was born in Sicily in 1945 and trained as a surveyor, before emigrating to Australia in 1966. After doing a little trading he eventually became a sub-contractor on the Ord River Dam project, and collaborated with fellow migrants John Trettel, Charlie Bontempo and Sam Castelli, to set up UGL, which became a major contractor.

What’s a car dumper?

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