Building the port

Italian specialist marine works contractor Paul Immobiliare SRL has been using a Promove XP4500 hydraulic breaker, mounted on a Cat 435B excavator, to do the demolition and digging work required for the construction of a new tourist port in Olbia, Sardinia.

The hammer has been working 10 hours a day on very hard granite both above and below the surface, down to a depth of 15-18 m (50- 60 ft). To allow it to work under water the hammer has been specially fitted with a compressed air connection, a hydraulic pump installed on the hammer head to provide a maximum flow of adhesive grease to the lower bushing, and steel spirals to protect the rubber high pressure hoses.