Manitowocs tackle gantries in Brazil

Two Manitowoc Model 18000 crawler cranes were used to help erect a pair of 1,500 tonne capacity gantry cranes at the Atlântico Sul Shipyard in Ipojuca, Pernambuco State, Brazil.

The first stage of the project was to unload 22 components, weighing between 66 and 530 tonnes, from a ship.

Following the unloading, the shipyard decided to relocate one of its Model 18000s, and brought in an additional new 18000 and a Model 16000. In addition, it added a Max-er capacity enhancing attachment to the original Model 18000 and also fitted one to the 16000. Manitowoc Crane Care staff oversaw the work over 11 days.

In addition to the three 750 tonne capacity Model 18000s and the Model 16000, were two Model 999s, plus 23 wheeled mobile cranes, including a mix of Grove all terrains and rough terrains, and National Crane boom trucks.

The shipyard at Atlântico Sul purchased one of the Model 18000 cranes directly and rented a second from Van Adrighem, a global crane rental company headquartered in the Netherlands. Brazilian rental company Saraiva supplied the rest of the cranes.

In addition to helping with the final stages of construction at the shipyard, the cranes play a major role in shipbuilding activities, said the company. The crawlers position large blocks used in the process, while the Grove cranes help with support and material handling duties.

Luiz Inàcio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, also visited the shipyard, which is still under construction. He took the controls of a Manitowoc Model 18000 during a keel-laying ceremony. The event, in mid-September, saw the crane position the central section of the Suezmax 1 oil tanker. The tanker is the first of 10 vessels ordered by Transpetro, the tanker-owning part of the state-run oil company, Petrobras.