Managing the procurement of two new Liebherr ship-to-shore container cranes for Lyttelton Port
Part of a port upgrade plan
Ship-to-shore container cranes are critical to the efficient and safe operations at any modern container port. We have been heavily involved in Lyttleton Port's purchase of two new container cranes as part of its upgrade and expansion plans. Our end-to-end management included defining the requirements, overseeing manufacture and delivery, and coordinating installation. We also coordinated all commissioning and handover activities, and demolition and disposal of the oldest crane in the fleet.
Smooth sailing
Setup and assembly of the new cranes within a highly constrained terminal environment was a substantial challenge. We worked very closely with operational staff and planners to ensure the assembly and move to the quayside was completed without incident. As part of the installation the cranes were re-ordered on the quayside to enable more efficient operation. This required additional IT and services coordination work. Dealing with crane movements on an earthquake-damaged wharf required meticulous planning and a bespoke jacking and skidding methodology.
Points of interest
- The new cranes were assembled by expert teams from Ireland and New Zealand. Cranes were assembled some distance back from the wharf, then jacked and skidded into position using hydraulic rams.
- The largest lift during assembly required two 400 tonne crawler cranes and involved a lift of 150 tonne.
- We have also completed the successful raising of three cranes, which involved inserting new steel sections into the crane legs to increase their clearance for 4-high straddle carriers to pass underneath.