3 minutes | magazine 02/2019
Steel colossus on the hook
Mexican crane and heavy haulage contractor ESEASA used its Liebherr LR 13000 crawler crane for the first time to load oil platforms onto barges at the port city of Tampico.
ESEASA is currently manufacturing seven oil platforms for state oil group PEMEX.
LR 13000 saves time and money
Tampico is on the Gulf of Mexico and is a major industrial centre with its own port. A large number of industrial companies have made their homes on the banks of the Rio Pánuco, to enable them to ship their freight down the river to the sea. ESEASA also has a company site directly on the banks of the waterway. The company is currently manufacturing seven oil platforms there for state oil group PEMEX. These were hoisted onto barges in component form by the LR 13000 before being transported to the south of the Gulf of Mexico.
The loads for hoisting were gigantic. Up to 1200 tonnes had to be positioned on the barges using a radius of up to 38 metres. Our 3000-tonne crawler crane is ideal for this work and delivers significant benefits compared to the previous method for loading oil platforms. Normally the heavy components are loaded onto SPMTs (self-propelled modular transporters) using jackup systems and then driven onto the barge on them. This takes around 18 hours.
Liebherr developed the extremely powerful slewing ring on the LR 13000 in-house.
To be loaded in this way, the barge must be positioned front-in at a 90 degree angle to the quay and held in place by several tugs. In this position, the barge extends so far into the waterway that it has to be closed for a significant period, costing an enormous amount of money.
Loading the enormous steel structures using the LR 13000 took just three hours and the barge could be secured alongside the quay. Tugs were required for significantly less time which saved a great deal of money and the canal could be left open for shipping. Since no heavy SPMTs had to drive onto the barge with the steel components, smaller barges could be used, therefore also reducing costs. Aldo Santos, who owns ESEASA along with his four brothers, was delighted: “Loading the massive components using the Liebherr LR 13000 worked perfectly and is significantly more economical than our previous procedure. The extremely short time required is extraordinary.”
Loading the massive components using the Liebherr LR 13000 worked perfectly and is significantly more economical than our previous procedure.
Heavy haulage and crane contractor ESEASA based in Mexico City, has three LTR 11200 cranes, three LTM 11200-9.1 machines and one LR 11350 as well as an LR 13000. Aldo Santos appreciates having a direct line to Liebherr and its reliable service around the clock. “We require competent service and fast solutions for our projects. We cannot accept delays, we need solutions on the day,” explains Santos. “Liebherr provides us with excellent support and also ensures that well trained technicians are normally available. We also appreciate the high quality of Liebherr cranes.” The main areas of work for ESEASA are in the energy sector, such as petrochemicals and wind power.
This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 02 | 2019.
