Comansa builds a bespoke tower crane for a Norwegian yard

Comansa and the Rental Group Crane AS technical team have responded with success and agility to the specific needs of Aibel’s yard.

The Comansa tower cranes are an excellent solution in facilities where the rise in materials in necessary and constant, such as ports and yards. This time, the vast experience and involvement of the tower crane manufacturer and the technical team of its Norwegian distributor Rental Group AS, have been reflected in Haugesund (Norway), with a bespoke 21LC1050 for the Aibel yard. 

The tower cranes for yards must meet stricter requirements than in purely constructive projects (arising from closeness to the sea, weather conditions, transit of vehicles and persons, and the fact that they are used for various projects). This has therefore been achieved by Comansa and the Rental Group Crane AS technical team for Aibel, with success and agility. The result is a Comansa 21LC1050 tower crane (with a 50-tonne capacity) adapted to the customer’s needs by means of a detailed customisation process. Initially, this tower crane has worked on the construction of the Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 (JSP2) process platform, Aibel’s biggest project to date and it has been used to lift very different loads 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Its 80 metre boom length has made it possible to reach the entire platform with a single tower crane.

To meet the demands of the project (withstand the 400 tonnes per corner that originate from a crane of more than 90 metres, in a D25 wind zone, and facilitate worker and vehicle transit) Comansa built a reinforced portal of 10 metres, which was assembled by its Norwegian distributor in the yard. Furthermore, the portal means it can be used in two ways: with movement on rails so it can be transported from one side to another and supported with levelling screws.

Due to the yard's geographical location, close to the North Sea, the tower crane is designed to withstand wind pressure pursuant to European D25 standards. Furthermore, to protect it against inclement weather, Comansa has usedspecial protection elements and materials, as well as 250-micron paint to prevent corrosion.

The tower crane is equipped with numerous options to guarantee safety at all times: vision camera on the trolleys to view the loads and the environment more safely, alarm signals, high-luminosity LED lights on the boom for the area workstations with on/off from the ground, signalling lights pursuant to the EN14439 standard, counterweights protected with galvanised steel frames, stainless steel electrical cabinet, activation of the wind-release system from the base of the crane, among others. Thanks to its ease of assembly and less space requirement, Comansa’s Flat-Top design has made it possible to overcome the logistical challenges arising from installation in a small (600-700 square metre) and windy space like the Norwegian yard. 

The Aibel yard lent its facilities and helped to pre-assemble the necessary parts (which arrived in 32 lorries). For the assembly, a 500-tonne mobile crane with a height of 115 metres was used. The heaviest piece to assemble was 23 tonnes. Once the foundation was laid and the portal installed, the crane was assembled in just two days. The speed when it comes to having spare parts and being able to move the crane to another point in the yard to undertake new projects is essential. 

Rental Group Crane AS's technical service is only two hours from Aibel and can provide parts such as moving or electrical elements, in addition to support. Comansa can also provide other types of special parts in just one day.