Hook harnesses reach stacker potential

A Terex TFC 45 reach stacker, with a customised rotating hook, has been delivered to Bouygues TP in Morocco, along with an AC 40 Optimax all terrain.

The equipment is being used in Phase II of Morocco's Tangiers Med port development project, commissioned by the Tangiers Mediterranean Special Agency (TMSA).

Described as one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken in Morocco, the deep-water port and associated free trade zone will be located 35 km east of Tangiers on the Mediterranean coast. It is a strategic intersection where major north-south and east-west shipping lanes meet in the Gibraltar Strait.

Designed to be the Mediterranean region's key port and hub for container shipments to and from America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Tangiers Med Phases I and II will comprise five terminals for container vessels, passenger ships and oil tankers, including three logistics, commercial and industrial free zones.

Both units are being used to help construct of a 2 km-long, 37 m-high sea wall. Bouygues will use 7,500 cast-concrete Accropode units and 40 reinforced, sand-filled caissons to complete the seal wall. It will increase the port area by about 18 hectares.

The 40 tonne capacity AC 40 Optimax is lifting gravel and sand for concrete, assisting in the erection of other cranes and moving equipment around the jobsite. Meanwhile, the TFC 45 is handling cast in concrete on-site, before they are transported to another area for storage and drying.

In sizes ranging from four to 16 cubic meters, the heaviest pieces weigh up to 40 tonnes. Once they have dried, the TFC 45 is used to lift and carry the blocks to trucks, then transport them to the sea- front where they are placed into their final position by a larger crane.

"Equipped with its rotating hook attachment, our TFC 45 stacker combines the heavy lifting performance and precision of a crane, even on rough ground, with the carrying speeds we need," said Mr Anas, Bouygues equipment purchases manager, "Since it first started operating in July, the machine has been working virtually non-stop. This is exactly what we need here in Tangiers to complete the job within a rapidly approaching 2012 deadline."

Once the Terex TFC 45 has fulfilled its role constructing the port, it will be converted on-site by Vemat's technicians to a standard reach stacker with spreader and be used in one of Tangiers Med's new container port terminals.