NSPI chooses 2000 Series E-Crane
As a result of the recent changes in the fuel availability for the Province of Nova Scotia, NSPI decided to construct the Point Tupper Terminal to import low sulphur coal for their Lingan, Point Aconi, Tupper and Trenton plants. Point Tupper is located in the Strait of Canso. This area has been free of ice since 1955 and is located on the “Great Circle Atlantic Shipping Route” which places it directly in the path of international shippers.
NSPI searched for the optimum offloading solution and decided to purchase a 2000 Series, Model 21382 from E-Crane, USA, equipped with a 30yd3 bucket and an outreach of 38.2m to be able to offload Panamax size vessels. This crane is mounted on a high portal rail undercarriage and features a connecting link to the receiving hopper to assure a constant distance between the hopper and the crane for ease of operation. NSPI’s docking facility is 134m long and 13.6m wide to accomodate a wide range of vessels.
This means that there was no room to assemble the crane on site, as is the normal practice. Instead, the crane was completely assembled on-shore in Belgium with a total operating weight of 385,000kg, lifted onto a Jumbo Transport ship equipped with 2 – 800 tonnes cranes, shipped and offloaded by the same vessel at the NSPI terminal in June of 2005. Once safely on the dock, the crane was commissioned by the manufacturer’s Belgian and the importer’s US based engineering team.
The E-Crane® offers the user flexibility to take advantage of changes in the solid fuel supply, as well as offloading limestone required to meet the latest emission laws. E-Crane® also delivered a 1500 Series, Model 9264, to offload Coal for the AEP-Tanners Creek Power plant on the Ohio River, near Cincinnati. A series 700, Model 4264 E-Crane® to offload grains went to the Goldkist feed mill in Guntersville, USA. To maintain and expand its lead in modern crane design, Indusign, the Belgium-based manufacturer of the E-Crane®, is in the final stages of developing the “B” series E-Cranes.
These cranes will incorporate state of the art electronically controlled hydraulic circuits instead of pilot pressure control, for example. This will facilitate the interfacing of electronic motor controls and power management as well as incorporating feedback from the load sensing system as well as enable technicians with remote diagnosis and adjustment capabilities.
Source: World Port Development – International Journal for Port Management (December 2005)
