Shell Ireland selects Valla pick and carry crane for gas plant maintenance 22 August 2013

Shell Ireland has taken delivery of a Valla 120D pick and carry crane, supplied by UK dealer Peter Hird and Sons, for maintenance and lifting work at a new gas plant in the west of Ireland.

According to Carl Cooper, Valla sales and after sales manager, project managers and plant engineers often overlook pick and carry crane, going instead for large cranes – and adding huge hire costs and downtime for relatively minor lifting challenges.

"As a lifting solution the pick and carry crane can get into very tight areas, where headroom and access are problems," he advises.

Shell's Valla pick and carry crane selection is the diesel engine version with a maximum lift capacity of 12,000kg.

Cooper says it was the ideal option for the plant maintenance required, because of its simplicity for use by maintenance staff, "who, after basic operator training, found the crane to be very user friendly and a valuable addition".

The Maintenance staff do not need to be solely employed as a crane driver and can be incorporated into the maintenance staff duties, the crane is a lifting solution without burdening the plant with processing and producing complicated lift plans, plant closures or employing stand-alone crane operators and banks man and added hire cost.

"Carrying out risk assessments, lift plans and method statements is still very important, and must be carried out, but generally, due to the crane being able to get closer to the lift and being able to carry the load to its final destination, [these] are far easier to produce," states Cooper.

"This has saved Shell additional, large crane hire costs for removing relatively low weight units up to 4,000kg, the weight of its heaviest valve packs," he continues.

"Due to the size of the crane – with a footprint of 4.24m by 2.1m, a height of 2.295m and a weight of 14,000kg – the crane can move in very tight areas around the plant where height restrictions of pipe racks and walkways can otherwise cause access problems," he adds.

The crane supplied had an additional hydraulic fly jib, giving an overall lift height of 13 metres with a 40 degree sweep.

"Shell found this crane to be the best option to access all areas," says Cooper.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Peter Hird & Sons Ltd
Valla Cranes (UK) Ltd

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