Remounting A Crane At Sea

Intense winds battered the crane and knocked it from its base. It lay crumpled across the deck of a floating oil refinery off the coast of Brazil. As it fell, the crane’s base became unmoored from its mounting ring, decommissioning the vital tool for loading and offloading equipment from the FPSO oil rig. The crane would need to be dismantled so that the crane’s base could be lifted back onto the mounting ring—all while at sea.

Engineered Rigging was uniquely positioned to help. While based in the USA, Engineered Rigging has rental-ready equipment staged in Latin America. We also have a longtime trusted partnership with heavy lifting powerhouse Enerpac. These factors allowed Engineered Rigging to quickly ramp up the complex logistics need to deliver a solution for remounting the crane base.

“Our engineers reviewed the initial lift plan developed by Enerpac in consultation with the customer. We confirmed that cube jacks were an ideal choice for the job at hand and suitable for the floating, marine environment,” explained John Kuka, Director of Business Development at Engineered Rigging.

Why were cube jacks the heavy lifting technology of choice? The total lifting capacity of the four SCJ-50 cube jack solution is 200 metric tons with 81 inches of lift height.

 “The cube jacks are safer, faster and easier to use than traditional jack and crib solutions that use wood,” added Kuka. “In addition, they have a small footprint and are lightweight which makes them easier to transport and faster to load.”

To Brazil or Bust

Engineered Rigging shipped four SCJ-50 Cube Jacks, two RR5020 Hydraulic Cylinders, and one SFP421SJ Split-Flow Pump from our rental facility in Santiago, Chile, to the customer’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. The cube jacks were used to lift the crane base, while the hydraulic cylinders and split-flow pump were used to skid the base back onto its mount.

When the cube jacks arrived in Rio, Engineered Rigging’s US-based technician Rustin Reeves flew to Brazil to train crews, maintain the equipment and oversee the planned lift. Reeves spent nearly three weeks in Brazil, half of that time in Rio and — after being airlifted by helicopter — half on the oil vessel. 

Safe, Simplified & Efficient Operation

A single person can load the 30-lb. steel cribbing blocks into a cube jack. This approach reduces labor, simplifies operation and lowers cycle times by 50% compared to climbing jacks. Safety is improved because the cube jack system automatically and mechanically locks into place after the lifting or lowering stroke.

Because of continued adverse weather, the crane base has not yet been lifted and skid back onto its mount. “When the oil crew identifies a clear weather window, Engineered Rigging will provide refresher training via a video call,” said Kuka. Until then, the cube jacks stand at the ready.