Second life for Blockbuster
The Blockbuster, one of the key players in the construction of the second Maasvlakte, is about to begin a new life. The massive E-Crane will be mounted on a floating terminal that will operate in the Caspian Sea.
The Blockbuster is a specialized E-Crane with a lift capacity of 50 Mtons (55 UStons) and an outreach of 63 m (207 ft) from the center of the machine. The original contractor, PUMA, used this crane from 2011 through 2012 for the construction of a stone dune at the Port of Rotterdam, an important part of the hard sea defense which will protect Maasvlakte 2 from the sea and from extreme “10,000 year” storms.
The Blockbuster placed approximately 20,000 individual large concrete blocks into the hard sea defense of Maasvlakte 2. Each block is 2,5 m³ (8.2 ft³) and weighs more than 40.000 kg (88,185 pounds). On January 30, 2012, the Rotterdam alderman, Jeannette Baljeu, placed the last block in the stone dune. After placing the last block, the Blockbuster’s work at the hard sea defense was complete.
Mid-December 2012, the Blockbuster will be disassembled. In January 2013, it will be transported to the Caspian Sea, when the port of Yangtze is deepened enough. There, it will work on a new project for Saipem, an international contractor in oil and gas. The Blockbuster will have a second life and also a new name: Titan.
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Blockbuster Achievements
- The Blockbuster’s weight is approximately 1200 Mtons (1323 UStons).
- The counterweight at the back of the Blockbuster weighs around 360 Mtons (397 UStons).
- The Blockbuster has a height of about 30m (98 ft).
- The Blockbuster placed concrete blocks weighing more than 40.000kg (88185 pounds) with a positioning margin of no more than 15cm (6″).
- At full speed, the Blockbuster positioned around 15 concrete blocks per hour, most of which were below sea level.
