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First sale of Hyundai HX900 L excavator in Europe

The British demolition company ABLE UK has made the first European acquisition of the Hyundai HX900 crawler excavator model. Distributed by the official dealer of the brand in Europe, Taylor & Braithwaite, this 90-tonne machine is currently working at ABLE Seaton Port. The HX900 L is equipped with a 10 tonne Fortress Shear for tough demolition work and a 4.85m³ bucket for excavation use.

“The company were looking for a machine to speed up the process of metal recycling as their workload had significantly increased. They needed an excavator which was capable of working in tough environments and could cope with heavy duty tasks,” said Chris Jordan, Taylor & Braithwaite Sales Manager who secured the deal with ABLE.

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A delicate and unprecedented challenge for AMCS technologies at the Hinkley Point C site

The anti-collision and zoning solutions provider AMCS technologies was chosen to ensure the safety of tower cranes at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in UK. 20 of the 55 tower cranes expected on the site have already been installed and equipped with the devices designed by AMCS technologies.

Among all these machines, the Favelle Favco hydraulic luffing tower crane with a capacity of 220 tons, one of the cranes with the highest lifting capacity in the world, was also equipped with the DCS 61-S. This crane is distinguished by its two arrows, a 70m and a 30m jib, each equipped with a hoist winch and a hook capable of working simultaneously or separately.

The installation of the DCS 61-S, that ensures the management of prohibited overfly zones as well as anti-collision with interfering cranes, jib by jib, and cable by cable or together, has been an unpriced ended challenge for AMCS technologies’ R&D teams.,Indeed it was necessary to guarantee the safety of the construction site and therefore the management of the two hoist winches on the same crane with two jibs.The DCS 61-S system, thanks to its adaptability and ability to manage the collision avoidance and zoning by successively integrating new machines into its network, proved to be perfectly suited for this task.

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AAL delivers for Felixstowe’s expansion project

AAL has recently delivered a cargo of four rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) to the Port of Felixstowe as a part of a development project. The ZPMC Chinese-made RTGs, measuring 32 m x 14 m x 30 m and weighing just under 200 t, were loaded in Shanghai and shipped to Felixstowe aboard the 31,000-DWT AAL Kobe vessel.

The new remote controlled RTGs will serve Berths 8 and 9 at the Port and are capable of stacking containers six-high to enable more efficient use of the new yard. All four units were discharged using Kobe’s own heavy lift cranes with 700 t maximum lifting capacity.

Christophe Grammare, AAL commented: “We are delighted to be back in the UK and calling for the first time in Felixstowe with such an impressive project cargo. Although the UK is a significant container shipping market – Felixstowe being the 6th busiest container port in Europe with about 26 million tons of cargo each year – it is not immediately associated with project heavy lift cargo. The RTGs were shipped there on-deck of the AAL Kobe which, with a highly flexible cargo capacity of almost 40.000 cbm, was also carrying additional project cargo under-deck that was discharged a few days later in Ireland.”

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Laing O’Rourke signs a £195m construction contract for Soho Place development

The British engineering enterprise Laing O’Rourke has signed a construction contract for the Soho Place, Tottenham Court Road development in London, UK. Soho Place is a mixed-use scheme above the new Tottenham Court Road Crossrail Station. The contract worth £195m will comprise of a 10-storey building with retail and office space, coupled with a nine storey building split into three office floors above a 600 seat theatre, the first to be built in the West End of London for over 50 years. With the main construction that has already begun, the team is concentrating on some challenging pilling above and around the web of services and tube lines that sit below the site. The development is due for completion in November 2021.

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Sarens lifts a 250t trawler in the UK

In the British port of Whitby, the Sarens crew was asked to for launch the new Guiding Light trawler. This 26m long, 8m wide and 12m high boat weighing more than 250t required the use of a Demag TC2800-1 lattice boom mobile crane.
Indeed, the narrow limits of the site required the use of a powerful machine, stable and with a small footprint. The TC2800-1 was equipped with a 42 m main boom, a 30 m superlift back mast and a 200 t superlift counterweight.

Once the official launch ceremony was completed, the TC2800-1 lifted the entire mass of the trawler with its 200T superlift counterweight. The load was then slowly and precisely slewed anti-clockwise until it was directly above the water. The trawler was slowly lowered into the water, releasing the weight from the crane and completing a safe and successful lift.

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Greenhous Commercials delivers new DAF truck to Beaver Bridges

Beaver Bridges (UK), which offers custom bridge solutions in the UK and across Europe, has just received a new DAF XF 530 FTR from Greenhous Commercials in Shrewsbury. The truck has been used to transport bridge sections and plant on a step frame trailer to a project in Ireland.

“The DAF product is cost efficient, flexible and has a new Euro 6 engine which we had heard good thinks about. The cab comfort is also very important as our driver will be away from home for several days a week,” said Henry Beaver, Managing Director of Beaver Bridges.

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Collett delivers Super Grid Transformer to Lovedean Substation

Heavy transport specialist Collett & Sons successfully delivered the 169 tonne Super Grid Transformer from Portsmouth International Port to Lovedean Substation, as part of an upgrade programme to supply homes, hospitals, schools and businesses in the area. The project involved the Collett Projects and Heavy Lift Teams, who undertook all the pre-planning works including a detailed swept path analysis reports of the route.

The Collett Team discharged the Super Grid Transformer from the vessel at the Portsmouth International Port and loaded it to its 66m long and 5.3m wide Scheuerle girder bridge to began the 12 mile journey to the substation. Two ‘end-change’ operations were required and completed along the route effectively flipping the combination 180 degrees to allow further transport. The convoy travelled across Portsmouth, Cosham, Havant, Purbrook, Waterlooville and Horndean under police escort. Once arrived, the Heavy Lift Team began the final positioning of the cargo. Due to restrictions on the site, the team was not allowed to skid the transformer directly to its designated plinth, the Collett & Sons specialists designed and implemented a multi-directional system to skid the Super Grid Transformer over the bund wall onto a steel platform. Once situated on the platform the hydraulic skidding system was then repositioned at 90 degree angle allowing to complete the positioning.

The Team was also in charge of the 1040ft containers of ancillaries required for the project, taking full responsibility for all cargo, delivering complete transport logistics, including de-vanning and storage facilities.

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Kingston University in London chooses Engie for a contract worth £195m

The Kingston University in London (UK) has entrusted the French group Engie with renovations and the future energy management and monitoring across the sites with a contract worth £195 million (around € 222 million). Out of this amount, £55 million will be spent on redesign and refurbishment of 1332 university chambers, followed by a 50-year facilities management and lifecycle contract worth further £140 million. Engie will also take an equity stake in the refurbishment project, alongside infrastructure investment firm, Equitix.

The work will start in June 2019 and should be completed in August 2021.

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RRC receives the first Demag AC 300-6 of the United Kingdom

The British premium crane service provider for mobile cranes RRC Cranes Hire Ltd, with Road Rail Cranes Ltd, has just extended its fleet with a new Demag AC 300-6 all terrain crane, unseen in United Kingdom. This 300t model (350 US ton) combined strength with the ability to lift 15t on a full meter boom. “Since adding our first specialized crane in early 2013, we’ve worked hard to build an impeccable reputation for network rail infrastructure,” said Ian Cross, managing director for RRC. “From the very beginning, we knew the company would be successful if we employed highly trained operators and equipped them with quality and innovative equipment. The Demag AC 300-6 all terrain crane exemplifies those standards and will be a great addition as we continue to grow as a company.” In total, RRC Group owns and operates more than 24 Terex and Demag cranes.

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Port of Antwerp prepares for the impact of Brexit

The Antwerp Port Authority is taking various initiatives in order to be fully prepared for Brexit including the appointment of Justin Atkin, owner of Ragged Edge Consulting, as the new representative for the UK and Ireland. With more than 20 years of experience in transport, shipping and logistics, Atkin assumed his role on 1 September 2018.

“The UK was always a self-evident market for us. Brexit brings new challenges for us, and our new representative will act as our eyes and ears, keeping us in touch with the economic situation and the impact of Brexit on Antwep’s business. We also count on Justin to place Antwerp even more strongly on the map for the UK and Ireland, and to attract new sources of cargo and investment, “ explained Wim Dillen, Regional Development Manager at Antwerp Port Authority.

With an annual freight volume of around 15 million tonnes the UK is the port of Antwerp’s third-largest maritime trading partner after the USA and Russia. According to the Port Authority, Antwerp is also ideally situated as an investment location close to the European centres of decision-making, and as the gateway to Europe from where the continent can be served quickly and efficiently, given that 50% of UK production is bound for continental Europe.

“The actual impact of Brexit is still uncertain,” said Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Antwerp Port Authority. “Last year there was a decrease of nearly 8% in trade with the UK, probably due to this uncertainly. But with Brexit rapidly approaching we want to concentrate on maintaining and even expanding our market position within the United Kingdom.”

Other initiatives being taken by the Port Authority include Brexit taskforce that has been set up with representatives of the port community, Customs & Excise and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain.