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Tuesday, 02 December, 2008, 22:50 GMT | more >>

Yantai claims world heavy lift record



By Upstream staff 

Chinese offshore fabricator Yantai Raffles Shipyard has inaugurated the world’s first dual-beam gantry crane which it claims has set a heavy lift world record of 20,133 tonnes.

The new state-of-the-art lifter at Yantai’s yard is named Taisun after a famous mountain in China’s Shandong province reflecting its size, strength and inspirational qualities, said the Chinese builder.

Taisun showed its enormous lifting capacity at its launch by hoisting a launching barge 30 metres above the water. Independent party American Bureau of Shipping witnessed the lift and confirmed the capacity of the crane at 20,133 tonnes, a heavy lift world record, said Yantai.

Taisun is now entering commercial service and has been earmarked for at least nine lifts over the next two years.

The crane will revolutionise the way large offshore projects, such as semi-submersibles and floating production, storage and offloading vessels are built, said the shipyard, which is one of China’s largest builders of semi-submersible drilling rigs.

“By providing a perfectly safe, uniquely controllable and highly cost effective way to join supersections of up to 20,000 tonnes, the hours spent working at great heights will be significantly reduced,” said the yard.


Tuesday, 22 April, 2008, 05:39 GMT  | last updated: Tuesday, 22 April, 2008, 23:51 GMT

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