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416

August 2009

www.cranestodaymagazine.comwww.cranestodaymagazine.com

MTC goes to sea

Wire ropeReaders’ awards

Tower cranes

Liebherr’s biggest crane:

Editor’s view

EDITORIALEditor Richard Howestel: +44 (0) 20 8269 7861rhowes@cranestodaymagazine.com

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CRANES TODAY AUGUST 2009 05

On the cover:

The first MTC 78000 from Liebherris overload tested at sea. Thecrane is one of the biggest slewingcranes in theworld, and is the firstof four ordered so far (p.7)

Digital issues

DRIVING CONSTRUCTION 2010MiddleEastCranes

Some of our other products. See more on www.cranestodaymagazine.com/products

Cranes Today China Buyer’s Guide Rigging YearbookConferences Website and email newsletterHoist and OCHmagazines

Accept no imitationsAs Frank Bardonaro said in the previous issue, when a manufacturer pulled him aside atConExpo last year, and asked how they can help rental companies through the economicdownturn, he replied: “Stop making cranes.” The point he was making is that the market hasbeen saturated. And it’s not good for business.

Cranes aren’t the only example. Competition in all industry sectors is sterner than ever, and itrepresents the challenge and the opportunity that we all have to come to terms with.

Ironically, this fast-paced, digital, virtual world has in fact put greater emphasis on the value ofdoing business face-to-face. So when the conference and exhibition season begins again nextmonth, you’ll be spoilt for choice. But, in the current economic climate in particular, it’simportant that you plan strategically.

Cranes Today has announced its conference schedule for 2009 and 2010. Building on thesuccess of Middle East Cranes, the magazine will be organising a new regional event inSingapore, covering the crane industry in Asia and Australasia.

We have organised three events in Dubai since 2007, charting the market from its peak. Nowthat some of the more prominent projects in the emirate have been postponed, the event iseven more important: attendees at Middle East Cranes 2010 will receive crucial information onthose regions and segments where growth is still strong. MEC will return to the Shangri-La Hotelin Dubai on 23-24 February.

Taking the model to Asia later this year, Cranes Asia, at theShangri-La Hotel in Singapore, will combine vital insight onbusiness opportunities in Asia and Australasia with all of thelatest in safe lifting operations from the world’s leading safetyexperts and standards committee members. The event will takeplace on 9-10 December. In this issue, we unveil the firstspeakers to sign up.

Richard Howes Editorrhowes@cranestodaymagazine.com

August 2009 Issue 416

SINGAPORE2009CranesAsia

Job of the month

CRANES TODAY AUGUST 2009 07www.cranestodaymagazine.com

The MTC 78000, the first of fourordered so far, is one of theworld’s largest offshore slewingcranes. Installation requiredseveral spectacular heavy duty

lifts, according to Liebherr, which usedtwo of its own LHM 600mobile harbourcranes with 208t lifting capacities to carryout tandem lifts on loads up to 400t.

This included the 370t slewingplatform, the 240t machinerycompartment, the 250t lower mast, 160tupper mast and the 87m-long boom.

For the mast upper, the LHM 600s wereequipped with tower extensions to enablethem to hoist the load up to 43m abovepier level, while a specially developedhydraulic pinning machine was used tosecure the boom once it had been lifted

into place. Despite the size and scale ofthe job, a team of 50 specially trainedmechanics was able to erect the crane in23 days.

The MTC 78000 was installed on theOSA Goliath multi purpose offshoreconstruction vessel, for Mexican companyOceanografia. The crane has a maximumlifting capacity of 1,600t at 35m radius. Atthe maximum 74m radius, it can lift 530t.

Once installed the MTC 78000 wasoverload tested at sea with two waterfilled pontoons weighing 1,760t, or 110%of the maximum lifting capacity. OSAGoliath will work in the Gulf of Mexico onbehalf of oil company Pemex, and is partof an order that includes two CBO 3600-100 offshore cranes that will be used asauxiliary cranes and supply hoists.

Liebherr recently installed its biggest ever crane:lifting the huge components was itself a unique job.