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In the course of work to increase the capacity of the cargo terminal for loading and unloading containers in the largest river port in the world in Duisburg (Germany), using a take3 trailer, a portal crane weighing 630 tons was moved. For this purpose, the contractor Kahl Schwerlast GmbH (Moers) used the PST/SL-E modules of Goldhofer Aktiengesellschaft, the leading manufacturer of heavy modular vehicles. “Thanks to the electronic management of the centerlines, Goldhofer self-propelled modules are ideal for such complex operations,” says Tim Cruise, responsible for moving the portal crane.
Modernization of the port
The port modernization project in Duisburg provides for an increase in capacity through the beginning of next year from one million standard containers to five million. This can be done with the help of four more cranes for loading containers, strain 100 trailers, increasing the reloading area and storage area by 13 hectares and moving a portal crane weighing 630 tons to Logport-1. Now the 139 m long, 20 m wide and 18 m high, which was originally parallel to the pier, had to be turned 90° so that the outflow above the water surface is 15 m. “This was a difficult task,” says Tim Kruse of Kahl Germany. “Moving a crane of this size to the nearest centimeter in a small space is really a hard work.”
To accomplish this task, Kahl Schwerlast GmbH selected two six-axle and two four-axle self-propelled Goldhofer PST/SL-E modules with hydrostatic drive, an electronically controlled load of 45 tons per axle line (axle). Two four-axle modules from Kahl construction were combined with standard triaxial THP modules to increase load capacity. The whole process of moving, because of which the port of Duisburg was forced to close for a short while, took 12 hours and demanded the participation of eight Kahl specialists. In order to raise the portal crane for its subsequent installation in a new position (30 meters above the pier), eight cranes were required.
About company
Kahl Schwerlast GmbH is one of the leading companies in the transportation of heavy goods in the federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia with a staff of 130 people and a fleet of vehicles, which includes about 250 ones. The company has every reason to rely solely on the Goldhofer equipment to perform such a difficult task.