UK’s largest crane arrives at Rosyth

Maritime Journal -

The Goliath crane ordered by Babcock for the final assembly of Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers at Rosyth arrived at the dockyard last week.

It was transported from China’s Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co Ltd (ZPMC) yard, where it was manufactured.

The transport vessel (with a beam of 39m and overall length of 244m)  will enter the non-tidal basin via the newly widened direct entrance, completed in December 2010. (See MJ – March 2010)

The partially erected crane (with the girder and upper sections of the legs assembled) was shipped to the UK mounted on the deck of a specialist transport vessel from the Chinese crane manufacturer’s fleet, along with all components and erection equipment, including temporary erection towers which will be used in Rosyth to complete the crane assembly.

The crane will now be fully erected to its full height on the ship deck over a six week period before being transferred from ship to shore directly onto the crane rails. These were installed last year (completed in February 2010), involving a total of 380 piles through varying ground conditions into the underlying bedrock, followed by reinforced concrete foundation beams, and the rail track. It will take just over four months to erect, test and commission the crane, for final handover in the summer of 2011, ensuring that the crane will be ready for its operational availability target of 1 September 2011.

The Goliath crane will be the largest in the UK, at a height of 68m to the underside of the main beams, with a span of 120m to cover the construction area of the new carriers at Rosyth.

The crane, which was selected on the basis of its safety, efficiency and cost, will lift and place the carrier sub-blocks, and components including the upper blocks and sponsons, bow block, islands, and aircraft lifts, without disrupting the dockside area adjacent to the ship.

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