14 cranes handle pipeline lift in Belgium

Aertssen Kranen completed one of the most visually striking lifts in recent history, employing 14 Grove cranes to simultaneously lift a massive pipeline for an industrial plant project in Antwerp, Belgium. The cranes lifted the pipeline for temporary placement over the waters of the Port of Antwerp in Belgium, a stretch of pipe typically used to carry sludge to the plant. Each crane lifted a 6.1 t section of the pipe positioned on its own pontoon, floating in the port. Eight supervisors watched over the lift to ensure the project went smoothly.

Aertssen Kranen is an extensive buyer of Grove mobile cranes and has a close working relationship with BLE, the dealer for both Grove mobile cranes and Potain self-erecting cranes in Belgium. The 14 Grove cranes selected for the lift are all from the all-terrain range:

A video of the striking lift can be viewed on the Stabroek, Belgium-based company’s YouTube site.

“We’ve had experiences with multi-lift operations up to 11 cranes that involved pipelines up to 250 m, but lifting a 14-section pipe with joints was new to us,” explained Yves Smets, account and project manager with Aertessen Kranen. “Nevertheless, the hard preparatory work of our engineering team and the professional actions of the crew on the field, made it a success story. We are glad to have taken part in this project and are always looking forward to a new record-breaking challenge.”