STS container crane to Guadeloupe

On behalf of client Altius Group SA BigLift transported a brand-new, ship-to-shore container crane (STSC) on the upper deck of Happy Star.

Manufactured by Kalmar Global in Bilbao, Spain, the crane was destined for Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean and transport was carried our in January, requiring the Atlantic crossing to take place in Winter. With a weight of about 1300 mt and its extensive dimensions of 68 m high and 103 m wide, the crane would be quite a wind catcher! The crane had a narrow footprint of 15 m, so its Centre of Gravity was very high and there was a chance for uplift. Therefore, extensive engineering was required.

BigLift engineers envisaged that sailing the North Atlantic – along Biscay and Finisterre – at this time of year would encounter larger waves and stronger winds. Extensive environmental data for these areas were used to calculate the design loads and engineer the best possible seafastening solution.

Cranes are not designed to be transported, let alone by sea, so reinforcements were necessary to withstand the winter waves and forces. However, Happy Star’s high deck strength was a very valuable asset and sufficient to accommodate the loads without additional support.

Lifting the crane on and off the vessel was challenging, due to the position of the lifting points which had been engineered inside the portal beam. With such a high crane, the clearances of the crane jib were very tight – sometimes there was not even 30 cm between the STSC and the crane. But, Happy Star’s two 1,100 mt heavy lift cranes were very suitable for this job. No other HLV can perform this type of lift with this lifting configuration.

After all preparation, the STSC was loaded, transported and discharged safely and is now being commissioned at quay N12 of the Port of Jarry in Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean.