BigLift Shipping has transported a 1,200t continuous ship-unloader (CSU) from Kaohsiung in Taiwan to Haramachi in Japan. Carried aboard the heavy lift vessel HAPPY BUCCANEER, the 45m high CSU was installed at the Haramachi thermal electric power station. The IHI-built CSU is a replacement for equipment that was severely damaged in the tsunami of March 2011.
The project was executed in cooperation with BigLift’s Japanese client IHI Transport Machinery Co Ltd. The CSU was loaded and discharged by the vessel’s two 700t heavy lift mast cranes (1,400t in tandem), using two 24m BigLift lifting beams
BigLift said that particular challenges in the project were the high deckloads, the lifting height and the required outreach of the ship’s cranes necessary for the installation of the CSU.
Due to the CSU’s construction, very large forces were expected on the supports of the bucket wheel boom and the ballast arm. Therefore, a detailed load spreading plan was made to lead the forces into the high-strength upper deck of HAPPY BUCCANEER.
During the voyage, the acceleration forces on the CSU were continuously monitored, using OCTOPUS-On-board, a state-of-the-art system that delivers real-time monitoring and supports the vessel’s route planning, speed optimisation,
heading and fuel consumption.
During the installation, the CSU had to pass over a conveyor belt system on the berth. This operation required a lifting height of 40m above the wharf and a crane outreach of 14.15m from ship’s side.
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This complete item is approximately 300 words in length, and appeared in the January/February 2016 issue of Bulk Materials International, on page 5. To access this issue download the PDF here.