Liebherr LR 13000 crawler crane modernises Mexican oil refinery

The crane job at the "Miguel Hidalgo" refinery, which belongs to state oil group PEMEX, comprised hoisting six tanks into position. Each of the tanks had a net weight of 620 tonnes and had to be hoisted to a hook height of 124 metres with a radius of 54 metres. In a configuration with a 132-metre main boom, including PowerBoom and the derrick boom together with 1725 tonnes of ballast, ESEASA's Liebherr LR 13000 crawler crane managed to complete the work with plenty in reserve. The Liebherr LR 11350 crawler crane, which was also on the site, helped with a tandem hoist to place the tanks in an upright position. A Liebherr LTR 1100 telescopic crawler crane removed the transport device from the tanks after they had been placed upright.

In the future the tanks will be used to store the carbon produced during the production process at the refinery. The tanks were manufactured in Spain and transported to Altamira in the north of Mexico by ship. They then travelled almost 1000 kilometres through 6 states on their way to Tula. A number of bridges, overhead cables, toll booths and signs had to be removed or modified to transport the tanks by road, a job which was also carried out by ESEASA.

Among its fleet, crane rental company ESEASA based in Mexico City has two LTR 11200 cranes, five LTM 11200-9.1 machines and one LR 11350 as well as an LR 13000 from Liebherr. The company mainly works in the energy sector (wind power and oil industry) and has specialised in engineering, logistics and crane assembly for large projects in Central America and the USA. ESEASA appreciates the direct support it receives locally from Liebherr. Liebherr Mexiko S. de R.L. de C.V. was founded in 2013 and is responsible for sales and service of mobile and crawler cranes in Mexico and Central America.