Columns and drums

Recently Happy Delta transported a shipment of columns and drums from Ulsan, Korea to Mobile, U.S.A., for the Kemper Country IGCC project, which is a state-of-the-art electric power plant that converts coal (lignite) to gas. The cleaned gas is used to generate power by firing it in a gas turbine.

After loading hold No.2 with the columns and drums of various sizes and weights, two 678 mton AGR H2S Absorbers of 72.48 metres long were lifted in tandem operations onto the deck. Not only was the loading of the columns a challenge because of their lengths and weights, stability and positioning also took some careful thought.

Initially, the lifting plans designed the lift in two stages, with the step sequence carefully simulated on the BigLift CAD system. During the actual lifting on board it turned out that the H2S Absorbers weighed slightly less than had been originally calculated so it was possible to load them directly into their final positions. Lifting a column of such length and weight requires highly accurate manoeuvring when easing the column between the cranes, taking care to stay away from jibs, other cargo, lifting gear and also Happy Delta’s third crane. Positioning on deck required precision accuracy; all six saddles had to be placed in their exact, pre-calculated positions before the columns were loaded.

The entire shipment was prepared in great detail and this resulted in a flow of information between BigLift and the client. Prior to the loading operation, everything was checked again at the manufacturer’s premises. Ultimately, these measures led to a smoothly executed job and a satisfied client.