International heavy lift and transport company ALE has performed the first lift in Turkey of its 4,300 tonne capacity AL.SK190 – one of the world’s largest land based cranes – at a petrochemical site near Izmir.
Together with Turkey-based crane operator Izmir Vinc, ALE used the AL.SK190 to upright a 600t vacuum tower and an 800t crude column, lifting them over a 20 metre-high pipe rack and landing them safely into their final positions. The tallest item measured over 80m.
ALE project manager, Jose Angel Morquillas, said: “The ALE-designed lifting device was the perfect match for the project, as it enabled huge planning optimisations with regards to civil works, piping, and the installation of load-bearing structures before the arrival of the critical components.
“The crane configuration allowed the heavy equipment to be constructed well in advance of the arrival and installation, and the owners, project developers, and EPC-contractor were able to fine tune and adapt the initial logistics strategy and budget as a direct result of the AL.SK190 capabilities.”
The AL.SK190 crane was launched in 2008 with a lifting capacity of 4,300t, a maximum boom height of almost 200m, and a load moment of 196,000tonne-metres.
The company says that the crane can perform previously unachievable lifts while occupying a footprint of just 35m x 55m.
The AL.SK190 crane has also been used in Saudi Arabia, as well as the USA, Brazil and Thailand.
The AL.SK cranes are also available in AL.SK350 and AL.SK700 configurations – the latter launched earlier this year – with capacities up to 5,200t and 8,000t respectively.