DEADLINE EXTENDED: TopLift competition 2024 - vote for your favourite lift

Niamh Marriott Deputy Editor, International Cranes and Specialized Transport

28 October 2024

Our annual competition returns with what we have selected as the top ten lifts reported from the last 12 months handed over to you, our readers, to choose from with a vote for your favourite lift. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2024

IC 09 2024 TopLift Voting Form.pdf Size: 151.1 KB Click to download

1. Brilliant balance

Equipment user: Vanguard
Equipment used: Bespoke hydraulic gantry lifting systems
Location: South Africa

Specialist heavy lift contractor Vanguard up-righted the bark Europa, a 650 tonne, 112-year-old sailing ship, after it tipped over in dry dock at Cape Town’s Victoria and Alfred waterfront in South Africa. Lacking space for a crane, Vanguard engineered a custom solution using telescopic hydraulic gantries and strand jacks, completing the operation with precision and control.

2. Doubling efficiency

Equipment user: Mammoet
Equipment used: PTC 210 DS ring crane
Location: Scotland

Offshore wind projects face challenges from tidal changes, causing delays in loading and unloading at quaysides. To overcome this, heavy lift giant Mammoet used a PTC 210 DS ring crane at the Port of Nigg in Scotland for the Seagreen offshore wind farm. This solution allowed continuous lifting, avoiding delays from tidal shifts, doubling operational efficiency.

3. Wind ready

Equipment user: BMS
Equipment used: Huisman ring crane
Location: Denmark

Lifting specialist BMS set up its new 3,000 tonne capacity ring crane in Denmark, with a 1,530 tonne test lift planned. The crane, standing 245 metres tall, can lift 1,200 tonnes at a 200 metre hook height. Its low ground pressure, electric winches, and high accuracy make it ideal for complex projects, including future wind farm work.

4. Heavy power

Equipment user: Sarens
Equipment used: SGC-250 ring crane
Location: England

Sarens’ 5,000 tonne capacity crane known as Big Carl was used to install a polar crane weighing 750 tonnes at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station construction project in the UK, one of the heaviest lifts made on the project to date.

5. Heavenly heights

Equipment user: XCMG
Equipment used: XCA3000 all terrain crane
Location: China

The 3,000 tonne capacity XCA3000, claimed as the world’s highest capacity all terrain crane, was put to work for the first time, in making this lift. The flagship model of Chinese manufacturer XCMG completed assembly of a wind turbine in Liaoning Province, China. Site of the landmark lift was the Dashiqiao Xintai New Energy 200 MW wind park in Yingkou.

6. Terrific tandem

Equipment user: Autokrane Schares
Equipment used: LTM 1650-8.1, LTM 1450-8.1 all terrain cranes
Location: Germany

In Wuppertal, Germany, two Liebherr mobile telescopic cranes worked in tandem to install a new bridge over the Wupper River. Space constraints required an unusual rigging setup, with cranes positioned on each bank. They lifted eight precast concrete beams, each weighing 85 tonnes, using a 160 tonne capacity triangular cross beam, completing the installation in two days.

7. Amazing array

Equipment user: MJ Van Riel
Equipment used: 16x wheeled mobile telescopic cranes
Location: The Netherlands

Sixteen cranes were used by Van Riel’s team to move a 352 metre section of heat pipeline during a drilling operation under the busy Erasmusplein in The Hague, a solution that allowed trees and bushes along the route to be spared.

8. Crane gains

Equipment user: Allelys
Equipment used: LG 1550 all terrain crane
Location: England

UK-based heavy transport and lifting specialist Allelys minimised site disruption by using a crane to install a 160 tonne turbine and a 96 tonne generator through the roof of a 22.3 metre high turbine hall in the UK. The components were transported 33 miles (53 km) on specialized trailers and lifted into place by a Liebherr LG 1550 crane, overcoming structural challenges and space restrictions.

9. Pylon precision

Equipment user: Sancho Toro Sur
Equipment used: 2x 420 EC-H 16 tower cranes
Location: Spain

Sancho Toro Sur deployed two Liebherr 420 EC-H 16 Litronic tower cranes for a 110 metre high lift during the Puente Quinto Centenario bridge renovation in Seville. The cranes were securely mounted to pylons, navigating the bridge’s stay cables. They lifted 7.5 tonne pylon reinforcements to add an extra lane, enhancing traffic flow.

10. Gantry grandeur

Equipment user: Roll Group
Equipment used: RMG modular gantry crane system, Tadano CC 68.1250-1 crawler
Location: Indonesia

Heavy lift, transport and installation specialist Roll Group completed two 1,000 tonne lifts at a petrochemical plant in Cilegon, Indonesia, using its new RMG modular gantry crane system. The system, capable of lifting 3,000 tonnes to heights above 120 metres, proved effective and efficient. Roll Group provided an end-to-end solution, including transport, installation, and project management.