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ALE tests world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine

ALE has recently used its expertise in heavylifting operations and helped GE to unveil and test world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine, the Haliade-X 12 MW, capable of powering 16,000 European households. Featuring the world’s longest blades, it has a rotor span of 260m.

Transportation of the first Haliade-X 12 MW nacelle took place at its factory in Saint-Nazaire, France. It was moved via SPMT approximately 200m, from the factory in which it was manufactured to the yard. Two nacelles in total were transported by ALE and then loaded onto barges for shipment to Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Blyth, UK. Here, each nacelle will form part of a test installation – one on land, one at sea. The weight of the nacelles was borne by 32 axle lines of SPMT in a 16 x 4 file configuration.

ALE has also completed lift operations to test the yokes that are used to install the Haliade-X 12 MW blades at sea. The yokes – known as Blade Eagles – are 170t and have dimensions of 32m x 10.5m x 14m. To perform this testing, ALE provided a 150t-capacity LR1600 crane and a load cell in slings.

This testing lasted for three days in total, following which the blades were placed back into support frames and the Blade Eagles placed on the quay for later collection by a vessel.The Blade Eagle yokes will be used for all offshore installations of the Haliade-X 12 MW. The turbine as a whole will undergo testing with an aim of mid-2021 for its first commercial production.

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Goldhofer at JDL EXPO 2019

At this year’s JDL EXPO 2019 in Beaune, France, Goldhofer is presenting the SPZ-L 4 (305) flatbed semi-trailer tailored for transporting crane ballast, jibs and booms and heavy accessories. It can be also used to transport compact concrete beams and steel girders, vessels as well as other general cargos.

“The flatbed semi-trailer has a deck length of about 12.4 meters and is therefore the perfect choice for compact payloads such as crane ballast and counterweights. Its pneumatic suspension reduces the impacts on the cargo as well as on the vehicle and road surface. With a maximum steering angle of 48 degrees, the turntable steering offers outstanding maneuverability, so that even the narrowest construction site entrance can be handled with ease,” said Goldhofer.

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Mediaco and Capelle take over AlteAd

It is finally the joint offer of Mediaco-Capelle that was retained today by the Commercial Court of Paris for the takeover of the AlteAd Group, effective from 1st August.

Mediaco therefore integrates the lifting branch of the AlteAd Group with 190 cranes, 470 people and 15 agencies in France. This acquisition allows Mediaco to increase its equipment and its national presence. With this integration, the group Marseillais has a fleet of 800 cranes from 35 to 750 tonnes of capacity, 75 branches, 2,000 employees and a consolidated turnover of 260 million euros, taking the 3rd place in European lifting.

AlteAd’s Transport business will join the Capelle Group on 1st of August as well. The specialized fleet of 390 tractors, 680 trailers, 580 people and 8 establishments reinforce the position of the Capelle Group allowing it to become the European No. 1 in exceptional transport, with a fleet of 1250 tractors, more than 2350 trailers and 1800 employees achieving a consolidated Transport turnover of € 265 million. This major step will enable the Capelle Group to increase its operational capacity in its growth and development strategy.

The recovery of industrial and central services is carried out through joint ventures in JVA.

“The Capelle and Mediaco Groups are proud and pleased to welcome more than 96% of Altead employees into their respective structures. Both family groups have strong historical ties. This merger reinforces the partnership established between them and preserves the synergy of transport and lifting professions by two professionals, leaders of their market “declare the two groups in a joint press release.

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Mammoet announces the acquisition of ALE

The two companies specialized in engineered heavy lifting and transport have just announced the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of ALE by Mammoet.

Paul van Gelder, CEO of Mammoet, said: “We are very happy with this agreement. Mammoet and ALE complement each other in geographical presence on all continents. Together, we have a well-balanced portfolio of activities worldwide. This enables us to improve our service proposition and create synergies, as we are able to mobilize equipment and personnel swiftly anywhere. Last but not least, Mammoet and ALE both have a strong legacy in innovations which, once combined, will enable us to grow as a technologically leading player.

Mark Harries, Group Managing Director of ALE added: “Mammoet and ALE share a strong ambition to be leading in the engineered heavy lifting and transport sector. Both companies have a strong track record and are renowned for their craftsmanship, innovations and fleet of equipment. We both have shaped the profession of heavy lifting and transport through numerous innovations in the past decades. The prospect of the two companies joining forces is very exciting.”

The closing of the transaction is subject to approval of the relevant competition authorities. Until then, the two companies will continue to operate strictly independently.

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Sarens installs two 1600t bridges in Belgium

Sarens recently completed the installation of two new bridges across the Kieldrecht Lock (Belgium). This lock, also called the Deurganckdok lock, is the largest in the world since its opening in 2016, and allows access to the Port of Antwerp. In order to transport and install the two elements Sarens used the barge “Caroline”. Thanks to this method, the lock was blocked only a minimum of time. Each of the two bridges measured 100m long by 15m wide and weighed 1600t. Dimensions that limited the working space on the barge. However, it took several manoeuvres to rotate the two bridges while they were on the barge. Finally, the strict tidal restriction for one bridge was also a crucial factor. The Sarens team used its CS1000 jacking system, steelworks, and SPMTs as well as the barge and various related marine equipment. Thanks to the careful planning and execution of the different stages, Sarens was able to successfully transport and position the bridges across the Kieldrecht Lock on time.

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Mammoet and ALE confirm advanced purchase discussions

Mammoet and ALE have announced that the two companies are currently negotiating a purchase agreement, under which the Netherlands-based international heavy lift specialist Mammoet would acquire the UK-based rival.

Mammoet stated: “Should these discussions result in a signed agreement, the companies will seek approval from the relevant competition authorities. In the meantime, the companies will continue to act independently of each other, as competitors.”

At this point, Mammoet and ALE wish to refrain from publishing more details about their acquisition talks.

Mammoet is owned by SHV, a privately held Dutch investment company and employs around 5,000 people worldwide. The company has a fleet of SPMT’s totaling more than 3200 axle lines including over 1200 cranes with a maximum capacity of up to 5000t.

ALE is a private company headquartered in the UK with more than 40 offices worldwide, employing over 1,350 people. The heavy lift specialist has a fleet of over 100 cranes including large capacity based cranes as the AL.SK190 and the AL.SK350.

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Goldhofer axle lines for Taiwan

Logistics service provider Sea & Land Integrated Corp., headquartered in New Taipei City in Taiwan, has opted for 28 PST/SL-E axle lines from Goldhofer in addition to its 94 Goldhofer PST and THP axle lines.

“For more than twenty years the Heavy Machine Division of Sea & Land Integrated Corp. has placed its trust in our transport solutions,” said Jean-Philippe Martin, Regional Director of Sales at Goldhofer. “Goldhofer’s versatile and flexibly combinable components enable customers to create tailored vehicle configurations for the most diverse haulage operations.”

“In view of the continuing high level of demand for construction site logistics, we have decided to order additional vehicles from Goldhofer for handling ultra-heavy loads,” explained Charlie Chien, Vice President Sea & Land Integrated Corp.

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Groupe Cayon relies on Cometto MSPE to move 85t transformer

Groupe Cayon used Cometto MSPE to transport a 85 t heavy and 6.4 m long transformer to the transformer substation in Gennevilliers for the French electricity generator group EDF.

The load made its first part of the journey by water on the Seine and then from the docks in Gennevilliers the transport was on land. Due to several obstacles on the short route, the final stage took three days.

“As a 6-axle version with power pack, the Cometto MSPE picked up the transformer on arrival at the quay. Thanks to the overall length of just 11.45 m, we had no problem getting to the ship’s mooring position,” explains Matthieu Lapczynski, project leader for special transport at Groupe Cayon. “The self-propelled vehicle also left behind various obstacles on the first section of the route.”

The freight was then reloaded onto a 4+6 low bed semi-trailer to go past the passage of two low bridges. Afterwards, the transformer was loaded back onto the Cometto MSPE to cover the final metres.

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Mammoet deploys a new location in Antwerp

In order to support the growth of the largest European oil and chemical cluster on the Port of Antwerp, Mammoet has decided to install a new facility. The site is adjacent to the large deep-water Liberty-dock (Bevrijdingsdok). Thanks to this new location, Mammoet Belgium will be able to offer services with a fleet of new cranes ranging from 40-ton to 500-ton, tower cranes and SPMT’s, followed by an increase of its workforce in Antwerp.

Paul Van Vuren, Managing Director for Mammoet Belgium explains, “It is our strategy to continuously build on our offering to our clients and deliver efficient and cost-effective solutions. We aim to achieve this in Antwerp by investing in people and resources to maximize the potential of our new dock-side location.”

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Marine Maroc uses Enerpac SL400 gantry to transport 130 t HP heaters

The international logistics company Marine Maroc has used its new Enerpac SL400 gantry to install high pressure heaters (HP heaters) of 130 t at the site of the Safi coal-fired power plant in Southwest Morocco. Marine Maroc was in charge of transporting the heaters from the port of Safi to the plant. Upon arrival at the plant, the Enerpac SL400 telescopic hydraulic gantry was deployed for the first time in order to lift them from hydraulic modular trailers.


Equipped with three stage lifting cylinders, the SL400 lifts up to 9.14 metres at the top of the third stage and can handle up to 408 ton at the top of the first stage. For Marine Maroc, the gantry is equipped with powered side shift units for ease of manoeuvring loads. In addition, the SL400 also features an Intelli-Lift wireless control system.


For Mohammed Belaidi, Technical Department at Marine Maroc: “The SL400 is an outstanding addition to our heavy lifting capability for many power plant projects where the gantry can be readily deployed both outside and inside the plant when space is limited.”