E-Crane Worldwide

Successful End to a Busy Season!

Ann-Sophie — Fri, 03 May 2013 07:31:19 +0000

As we have discussed in previous newsletters, E-Crane has had a busy Spring with E-Cranes going up all across the United States.

Savage Valero refinery

The 1500 Series / Model 9317 crawler mounted E-Crane for the Savage Services operating at the Valero St. Charles refinery in New Orleans, LA is currently up and running. The installation was completed in late March for this E-Crane which is being used to handle coke inside the refinery. This will be the first E-Crane owned by Savage who has nearly 10 years of experience operating E-Cranes for clients at bulk unloading terminals in Lena, Louisiana, and Nova Scotia, Canada.

Two material handlers for CalPortland

In early April, two MH1200 Series / 11290 barge mounted E-Cranes for CalPortland in Seattle, WA were installed on the work barge. The installation of both E-Cranes took place in less than three weeks! These cranes will be used to unload tunnel spoils out of river barges as a part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project. The Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement is a deep-bore road tunnel that is currently under construction in Seattle.

American Recycling

Finally, the commissioning of the 700 Series / Model 4290 pedestal mounted E-Crane for American Recycling was recently completed in Fort Worth, Texas. The entire installation was a success, and took E-Crane service technicians only nine (9) days to complete from start to finish. The E-Crane is currently in operation feeding scrap into a 2000hp shredder. The E-Crane has a maximum outreach of 29 meters (95′) and a duty cycle capacity of 5.5 Mtons (6.1 UStons). This is the second E-Crane success in the scrap industry in the past year. The first E-Crane for the scrap industry in the United States was installed last summer at Nucor General Recycling for feeding auto bodies into a shredder.

International Cooperation

For the installations of Calportland and American Recycling, E-Crane International USA worked closely together with E-Crane Worldwide, based in Belgium. Two service technicians came over from the Belgian office to help complete the installations of these cranes.

Picture of the Month – April

Ann-Sophie — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:49:38 +0000

Picture of the Month April: Titan underway

January

February

March

April

View the pictures of the month of the year 2012

Blockbuster becomes a dredger

Ann-Sophie — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:28:13 +0000

One of the key players in the construction of Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2’s sea defences, is about to begin a new life. The massive Blockbuster E-Crane will be mounted on a floating platform and used for a pipeline dredging operation in the Caspian Sea, close to the shores of Kazakhstan.

To be renamed Titan, Blockbuster’s 30m high and weighs about 1,200 tonnes. Original contractor PUMA used it from 2011-2012 to build an important part of the hard sea defence that will protect Maasvlakte 2 from the sea and from extreme ‘once in 10,000 years’ storms.

Blockbuster placed approximately 20,000 individual concrete blocks, each 2.5m³ and weighing over 40,000kg. The crane was disassembled during January 2013 for transport to the Caspian Sea where it will work for oil and gasmajor Saipem.

Titan brings a combination of 45m outreach and lifting capacity of 24.5 tonnes never before achieved by a conventional dredger. Using Titan allows dredged material to be stockpiled underwater along the trench but far enough away to ensure that the material won’t migrate back into the trench. This saves Saipem time and money because it will not require transport vessels to store material while the pipeline’s being placed.

“

Indusign of Belgium

Once the pipe’s installed, Titan will reclaim the material and cover the pipe.

Source: Dredging & Port Construction – April 2013

E-Crane eyes growing Asian market

Ann-Sophie — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:39:58 +0000

The Asian bulk equipment market is experiencing a period of significant growth. One region, in particular, that has caught the attention of crane manufacturer E-Crane Worldwide is Bangladesh, and the company has experienced significant success in the country. The E-Crane is designed specifically for barge and ship unloading, and is a proven and trusted solution in many bulk material handling industries.

Many dedicated systems for offloading coal, limestone and other bulk materials are costly, inflexible and require an expensive, hard to maintain infrastructure. The versatile, flexible E-Crane is just the opposite. E-Crane’s modular design and custom solutions make it ideal for any bulk handling application. E-Crane is purpose built for dedicated tasks including: offloading Panamax/Handymax sized vessels; barge loading/unloading; ship loading/unloading; feeding hoppers; and stockpiling. Since 2001, E-Crane Worldwide has fulfilled a staggering 20 contracts in Bangladesh, and demand is continuing to grow. Most Bangladeshi clients have become repeat customers, with some having three or even four E-Cranes operating at their terminals.

Shah Cement

1000 Series, 7264B PD-E
Material handled: clinker, limestone
Total capacity of grinding mill: 600tph
Conveyor capacity: 600tph

One of the recent success stories in Bangladesh is the first E-Crane supplied to Shah Cement. Shah Cement is one of the largest cement producers in the country with its headquarters in Chittagong and a production plant near Dhaka. Originally commissioned in August 2011 this crane, with a maximum outreach of 26 metres and a duty-cycle capacity of 9.1 tonnes, now has close to 9,000 working hours in only 18 months of near continuous operation. This means it has achieved staggering 6,000 hours per year!

During the initial start-up and training period client was averaging an unloading rate of 250tph (tonnes per hour). Over time this has risen to an impressive 390tph. This single E-Crane is effectively replacing three rope cranes.

In the first one-and-a-half years of operation, this E-Crane has proven to be the most versatile, reliable and cost effective unloading crane for this client. The main electric motor is a mere 200kW, further proof of how efficient the unloading operation has become with the addition of the E-Crane.

Next to high productivity and reliability, the lifetime of unloading cranes is also of the essence. With an A8 classification according to FEM 1.001, a long machine life is guaranteed.

Source: Dry Cargo International, April 2013

Kiwanis interclub activity in the port of Ghent

Ann-Sophie — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:43:35 +0000

Division East Flanders Centre
KC Eeklo Meetjesland

On November 15, 2012, the inauguration of the new scrap loading port crane took place at the Galloo Gent scrap terminal of Galloo Gent (formerly known as Van Heyghen Recycling) in the port of Ghent.

When the order for the E-Crane was placed, it was realized that both the customer and the manufacturer happened to be eminent members of “Kiwanis”!
Pierre Vandeputte is the manager of the Galloo Group and is also the past president of KWT. Lieven Bauwens is Chairman of the Board of E-Crane Worldwide and president of the social committee of KEM.

The official commissioning of the new E-Crane was the perfect opportunity to gather all Kiwanis members for an interclub activity. A formal dinner was organized at the Galloo Gent scrap terminal, followed by speeches and explanations of the “club fanions” by President Luc Ryckaert of KEM and President Elect Jannick Sercu of KWT. The crane customer and manufacturer also each gave small presentations.

The logistics, recycling, and smelting of scrap metal are very important aspects of the steel industry. The perfected design of the E-Crane permits a high return on investment with minimum power consumption. This explains the commercial success of E-Crane, the manufacturer of the crane, as well as the ever increasing interest of the recycling industry.

The evening was well-organized and successful — it was a night that made guests proud to be Kiwanis members! In the image, we recognize Pierre Vandeputte of KWT on the left and Lieven Bauwens of KEM on the right. The second picture was taken the day after, from the other side of the Ghent-Terneuzen canal. It was taken there in order to get the whole crane in the picture. The cab of the crane, where the operator sits, gives an idea of the large scale of giant machine and the piles of scrap it handles!

Jan Ryckaert
advocaten@ryckaert.com

Source: Kiwanis Magazine Belgium-Luxembourg, March 2013, p. 26

Van Oord commissions Titan and Astrachan

Ann-Sophie — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:58:56 +0000

Rotterdam, March 28 2013 – On 27 March 2013, Van Oord held a ceremony commissioning crane vessel Titan and accommodation pontoon Astrachan. The honours were done by Mrs E. (Lily) de Wit – wife of Area Director F. (Freek) de Wit – and Mrs M. (Michele) Kamsteeg, wife of Area Manager M.C. (Ries) Kamsteeg. The order to build Titan and Astrachan was awarded to Holland Shipyards in Hardinxveld Giessendam, the Netherlands in October 2012. Given the tight construction deadline, virtually all of the work was done in the Netherlands.

Titan consists of a new pontoon 60 metres long and 26 metres wide, and is equipped with spud poles and the E-Crane Blockbuster, which was successfully deployed before on the Maasvlakte 2 project. What makes this crane exceptional is its long outreach – the distance between the grab and the centre of the machine – and its lift capacity of 40 tonnes. To reduce its width so that it can pass through locks, Titan has been fitted with side pontoons that can be dismantled. Titan’s name originates from Greek mythology and refers to a giant, incredibly powerful person.

The accommodation pontoon is 60 metres long and 15 metres wide and offers accommodation for 50 people. Astrachan’s name refers to the pontoon’s first destination. On 31 March 2013, Titan and Astrachan will be departing for the Russian part of the Caspian Sea to assist with the dredging work for a pipeline-laying project.

Source: Van Oord

Electric crane company installs first machine for APLNG

Ann-Sophie — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:10:17 +0000

The first E-Crane to be used in Australia has been installed and commissioned on the APLNG project site on Curtis Island. The E-Crane is a revolutionary bulk material handling machine designed and built by a company based in Adegem, Belgium.

Project manager Steve Osborne said the E-Crane was an electric “balanced” crane which moved material more efficiently than any other type of machine. While the crane has been used mostly throughout Europe and the US, this is the first time the company has installed one in Australia.

“This particular machine installed on Curtis Island is a 1500 Series machine capable of unloading 750 tonnes per hour of aggregate, sand, rock or other commodities from a barge to the receiving hopper,” Mr Osborne said. “A conveyor belt then takes the material into the construction site for further processing.”

Mr Osborne said the E-Crane was equipped with a single 250kW electric motor, eliminating the need for diesel-driven equipment such as excavators and trucks. “In comparison, an excavator of similar size and capacity to move 750 tonnes per hour of material would consume 75 to 100 litres of diesel fuel per hour,” he said.

“Bechtel has substantially increased their material handling efficiency while reducing costs and environmental impact at the same time.”

Source: The Observer, March 21, 2013

Argentine terminal opts for E-Crane

Ann-Sophie — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:58:40 +0000

In early 2013, Terminal 6 S.A in Argentina placed an order for a new 1500 Series, Model 11264 PD-E E-Crane with 26,4 m (86.5 ft) outreach and a lift capacity of 19 Mtons (20.9 UStons) to unload soy beans from Mississippi and Paraná sized barges onto a conveyer system.

Largest soya meal exporting company

Terminal 6 S.A. is a joint venture between Bunge, and Aceitera General Deheza. It was founded in 1985 and has grown to become the largest soya meal exporting terminal in Argentina. The terminal also ships and handles grains and vegetable oils, along with other dry agribulk. Terminal 6 S.A. is Argentina’s first private port, and has the facilities to store up to 950 thousand tons of dry bulk materials as well as 110 thousand tons of liquid materials.

Terminal 6 S.A. began talks with E-Crane about a potential project on the Paraná river back in 2007 with a goal of increasing the productivity and capacity of their port. The soy beans were originally unloaded using a cable crane and a small material handler. Each machine was achieving a production rate of about 400 tph. Terminal 6 S.A. considered many different material handling options, but ultimately chose the E-Crane to maximize their operation. The cable crane will be removed, and the new E-Crane will be installed in its place. The E-Crane will be pedestal mounted directly onto a new addition to the existing dock. An unloading rate exceeding 900 tph is expected.

Why Terminal 6 chose the E-Crane

Terminal 6 S.A. realized the benefits of the equilibrated crane’s efficient design. The E-Crane is a truly unique and revolutionary machine with the lowest power consumption cost in the industry. It runs on clean electric energy, saving customers huge amounts of money when compared to diesel powered equipment. There are also very little associated maintenance costs due to E-Crane’s innate design.

Design of the original balanced crane

The key to the E-Crane’s efficiency is the parallelogram design linking the stick to the moving counterweight. This unique 4-bar mechanism ensures that the E-Crane remains in near perfect balance throughout its working range. Compared to conventional cranes that require as much as 80% of their available energy just to move the boom, stick, and grab, the E-Crane allows gravity to work for you instead of against you, reducing horsepower requirements and power consumption by up to 50%, reducing maintenance and operating costs.

Proven Solution for Bulk Handling

E-Crane® at work with a 10m³/13.07yd³ Hydraulic Clamshell Grab

Designed specifically for barge and ship unloading, E-Crane is a proven and trusted solution in many bulk material handling industries. Most dedicated systems for offloading grain, coal, limestone and other bulk materials are costly, inflexible and require an expensive, hard to maintain infrastructure. The versatile, flexible E-Crane is just the opposite. E-Crane’s modular design and custom solutions make it the ideal equipment for any bulk handling application. E-Crane is purpose built for dedicated tasks including:

Offloading Panamax/Handymax Sized Vessels
Barge Loading/Unloading
Ship Loading/Unloading
Feeding Hoppers
Stockpiling

Turnkey Bulk Material Handling Solution

E-Crane offers more than just the crane. Turnkey bulk material handling solutions are offered in order to optimize the entire port operation. E-Crane streamlines the facility by working with the customer to provide other services and equipment including stationary or linked hoppers, barges and barge haul systems. For handling dry bulk materials such as coal, limestone, bauxite, fertilizer, grain, cement clinker and coke, E-Crane is the ideal solution.

Source: Dry Cargo International, March issue 2013

Five E-Crane Installations Underway in March

Ann-Sophie — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:14:25 +0000

The month of March is sure to set a record for E-Crane International USA. Five E-Cranes installations across the United States will be in progress simultaneously.

1. GenOn

The first crane that arrived in the country is a 700 Series / Model 4248 pedestal mounted E-Crane for GenOn Energy inc. The E-Crane will be used to unload gypsum brought in by railcar at their facility in Newburg, Maryland. The E-Crane arrived in Baltimore at the end of January and was transported to GenOn’s facility in early February where it is ready for installation.

2. Savage Valero

The second E-Crane to arrive in the states is for the Savage Valero plant in New Orleans, Louisiana The crane reached port in Mobile, Alabama on March 5 where it will begin travel to New Orleans. This 1500 Series / Model 9317 crawler mounted E-Crane will be used for coke handling at the plant. Installation and assembly is schedule to begin on March 14.

3. American Recycling

Traveling further west across the country, a 700 Series / Model 4290 pedestal mounted E-Crane is scheduled to arrive in Houston on March 11. The new E-Crane will be installed at the American Recycling scrap yard in Fort Worth, Texas where it will be used to feed a shredder. Installation will begin at the end of March.

4. & 5. CalPortland

Lastly, two MH1200 Series / 11290 E-Cranes will be erected for CalPortland in Seattle, Washington at the end of the month. The first shipment of parts containing the two E-Crane lowers is to arrive at the shipyard on March 18. A second shipment with the rest of the crane parts will arrive on March 29 for installation. The two E-Cranes will be mounted onto a single barge where they will be used for unloading tunnel spoils out of river barges into a hopper. March will prove to be a busy month for E-Crane, but our engineers and service technicians are up for the exciting challenge!

World Coal Trade 2012

Ann-Sophie — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:38:47 +0000

Source: Dry Cargo International, February 2013