Press Release
Début for Felbermayr 1,000-tonne crawler crane
For building of a gas- and steam power plant in Herne, Germany, the Austrian heavy transport company Felbermayr deployed a new Liebherr LR 11000 fresh from the factory. In addition to this 1,000-tonne crawler crane, SPMTs (self-propelled modular transporters) and low loaders were deployed in large numbers. The contract lasted about three months and ended in mid-February.
Huge components with unit weights up to 457 tonnes are not an everyday affair, even for a heavy transport company like Felbermayr. But it’s known all over that the heavy transport specialist’s employees and fleet are up to challenges like this. However, when a 1,000-tonne crawler crane is first put to use, not only does the load rise, but so does the excitement. So the deployment on the Rhine-Herne Canal was awaited with great anticipation in the Rhein-Ruhr metropolitan region of Germany’s state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The four immense components departed from the Siemens factories in Berlin, Mühlheim an der Ruhr, and Nuremberg. “The transports to the transshipping location not far from the construction site were awarded by Siemens and the main contractor Züst & Bachmeier Project GmbH. They were partially handled via water route by Felbermayr subsidiary Haeger & Schmidt,” reports project manager Matthias Pichl, who also heads up the Felbermayr branch in Nuremberg.
Züst & Bachmeier contracted Felbermayr to transship these large components and to transport them to the power station construction site. In addition, Züst & Bachmeier had previously brought 20 heat surface modules by sea and inland waterway all the way from China to the transshipping location in Herne.
Crawler crane with total weight of 1,000 tonnes
For shipping the heavy lift cargo, the transshipping location first had to be properly adapted. “Otherwise, it would not have withstood the enormous pressure,” says Pichl, describing the configuration of the crawler crane: “The equipment used for the Liebherr LR 11000 included a 42-metre main mast with a derrick boom, a 260-tonne revolving platform ballast and a 320-tonne suspended ballast. The latter, however, was not stacked until after the heavy lift components had been lashed to an auxiliary crane, and they served as necessary counterweight.” Thus, including the lifted equipment, the crane came to more than 1,000 tonnes in total weight.
The main four components included a gas turbine weighing in at 457 tonnes, a generator at 450 tonnes, a transformer at 425 tonnes, and a 145-tonne steam turbine. “Due to the limited spatial geometry at the transshipping location, the crane could not swing sideways after taking up the load,” says Pichl, explaining that an approximately 50-meter-long track made of bongossi wood had therefore been laid out for the crane. This ensured that the crawler crane could back up about 20 metres under load to make room in front for the SPMT — the load was then placed on that and secured for the ride to the power station construction site.
Moving on the SPMT
“The self-propelled transport to the power station construction site about two kilometres away took several hours and was done at night,” reports Pichl, specifying that, “The SPMT was configured with 18 parallel-coupled axle lines and two power pack units. This meant the weight was very well distributed on the road.” In addition, steel plates were placed at critical areas, such as curbs. In addition, a bridge crossing system was used for driving over a bridge with inadequate load capacity. In the middle of February, Felbermayr finished its part of the contract for transporting the heat surface modules weighing about 212 tonnes each.
The gas-fired power plant with heat and electrical cogeneration should be complete by the end of next year. It will cover the heating needs of 250,000 households and also generate environmentally friendly power.
Felbermayr Holding GmbH with headquarters in Wels/Austria is represented with 69 sites in 19 European countries. Currently, the Felbermayr Group employs around 2,700 skilled workers, who achieved a consolidated net turnover of around 502 million euros in 2019. The company specialises in special and heavy transport, mobile crane and working platform rental, heavy lift handling as well as civil engineering and building construction activities.
For further information: Felbermayr Holding GmbH · Markus Lackner · E-Mail: m.lackner@felbermayr.cc
Mobile: +43 664 6198136 · Telephone: +43 7242 695-136 · Machstraße 7 · A-4600 Wels · www.felbermayr.cc
