Two Demag AC 300-6 cranes lift concrete supports in the Arabian desert

Two Demag AC 300-6 cranes lift concrete supports in the Arabian desert

The Kuwaiti government's Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah Causeway Project is currently among the world's largest infrastructure projects.

The most spectacular part of this 36-kilometer-long road connection is certainly the bridge over Kuwait Bay, which boasts a length of 27 kilometers. Participating in this prestigious project is the Kuwaiti logistics service provider Integrated Logistics Company (ILC), which by order of the Kuwaiti construction ministry had to bring pre-assembled concrete supports to a construction site near Sabiya. For this task, ILC relied on the powerful performance of its new Demag AC 300-6 cranes – which celebrated a double premiere in the process

For ILC was not just using its new Demag AC 300-6 all-terrain cranes for the first time, these were also the first Demag cranes of this type delivered by the German plant in Zweibrücken to an international customer. "In addition to quick rigging, the AC 300-6 impressed us with its lifting capacities, which are unmatched in its class, and especially the 80-meter-long main boom,used to install the small section of the precast beam. Because of its compact design, this crane can be used in many different scenarios," comments ILC CEO, Saleh Alhuwaidi about the company's purchase decision.

These properties made the two Demag AC 300-6 cranes the first choice for their initial deployment on the desert construction site. Their job there: They had to lift precast concrete components from a Hydraulic dolly Type Trailer with Turn Table System and place them at their pre-planned position. Because the steel-reinforced concrete elements weighed 105 tonnes each, were approximately 37 m long, one meter wide, and 2.3 m tall, the work was best done with a tandem lift.

130 kilometers through the desert

However, before the lifting could be done, the two Demag AC 300-6 cranes had to be brought to the construction site. "The 130-kilometer-long drive from ILC Yard in Mina Abdullah through the desert went very smoothly," reports Saleh Alhuwaidi. The cranes were accompanied by four tractor-trailer rigs, which among other things transported the required counterweight of approximately 50 tonnes. The crane operators needed just two hours with the help of two riggers apiece to set up the cranes. "The assembly-friendly design was also decisive for the use of our two Demag AC 300-6 cranes on this construction site since the quick setup was crucial to adhere to the tight time constraints," explains Saleh Alhuwaidi.

Consistently outstanding crane performance

For the subsequent tandem lift, the cranes were outfitted with 24.4 m meter-long main booms, a counterweight of 26.7 tonnes, and an 80-tonne hook block with seven-part reeving. An outrigger support base of 8.68 x 8.48 meters provided the required stability. Rigged this way, the cranes were prepared to lift the two 105-tonne concrete beams from the lowbed trailer in two steps in a tandem lift, swivel them sideways in a radius of nine meters, and lower them at the specified place in the desert sand. Thanks to the cranes' quick working speed, their exceptional maneuverability, and their fast setup even with just a few people, the ILC team was able to complete the job in just one day.

By way of thanking Demag for its reliable support on the construction site, Saleh Alhuwaidi comments, “the two cranes' consistently excellent performance from journey to setup to lifting was crucial. We’d also like to thank Terex team member Andreas Ginder, who was on-site at the debut of our new AC 300-6 cranes." In any case, ILC is very satisfied with the service of Terex Cranes – especially with the After-Sales support, which is not only very reliable, but also very fast, as Saleh Alhuwaidi emphasizes.