ALE goes for US lift record

AL.SK350 super heavy lifter with close to 3,000 tonnes on the hook at Ingleside, Texas, USA

International heavy lift specialist ALE lifted a module weighing nearly three thousand tonnes, making it one of North America’s heaviest lifts with a land-based crane.

ALE used its 5,000 tonne capacity AL.SK350 super heavy lifter which has a maximum load moment rating of 354,000 tonne-metres.

The 3,179.5 US ton (2,884.4 tonne) load was an MRU module for an oil and gas project at Ingleside, Texas. It was the second of three modules on top of the offshore topside. All three modules together weigh 7,290 tons (6,614 tonnes) with hook block and rigging.

All three lifts will be made from one position so no repositioning or dismantling and reassembly will be required, reported UK-headquartered ALE.

The AL.SK350 was rigged with 124 metres of main boom, and was set at a 49 m ballast radius. The heavy winch system was fitted as was 4,000 tonnes of ballast. The lifting radius ranged from 29.9 to 31.4 m.

Commenting on the second lift Ronnie Adams, ALE senior project manager, said, “The second successful lift proves the tried-and-tested capabilities of the AL.SK350 crane and its unique ability to lift this weight at such a long outreach within a congested site. The team and myself are very proud to be involved in such a landmark project and be the first to achieve such a heavy lift using this type of crane in the USA.”

These initial three lifts on land are trials in a bid to minimises delay when installing the modules offshore. Confirmation can be established that the parts fit together and it allows for some more pre-commissioning to be carried out. Final installation will be done using a new heavylift vessel in the sea off Israel.

February will see the third module lifted prior to all three leaving the yard for their final destination in the second quarter of 2019.