Learn About, Goliath Crane
About, Goliath Crane
posted at Johannas Corner
QUINCY - It’s 30 stories high, can lift 1,200 tons, is the most prominent remnant of the city’s shipbuilding past - and it’s about to disappear permanently from the Quincy skyline. The Goliath crane, the largest gantry crane in North America, is expected to be dismantled within the next six months and sent to a shipyard in Romania. 1
The introduction of the goliath crane is part of MHI’s program to strengthen the Koyagi Plant’s shipbuilding structure in order to further enhance the company’s competitive position in shipbuilding. Other initiatives toward that goal include 1) expansion of the existing shop (25-meter extension) mainly used for bending and assembly of heavy steel plates for the fore and aft blocks of ship hulls, 2) construction of a new shop dedicated to specific hull segments, and 3) capacity enhancement of the present painting shop. 2
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Tokyo, February 20, 2008 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed the installation and today launched the full-scale operation of Japan’s largest goliath crane, with a 1,200-ton hoisting capacity, at its Koyagi Plant of the Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Nagasaki Prefecture. The newly installed gantry crane measures 95.5 meters in height and 185 meters in width. With the introduction of the new crane, together with expansion of other shipbuilding-related facilities, the annual shipbuilding capacity of the Koyagi Plant will increase, in LNG carrier parameters, from the current five units to seven. 3
The goliath crane is part of MHI’s program to enhance the Koyagi Plant’s competitive position in shipbuilding. Other steps include a 25 m expansion of the existing shop that is mainly used for bending and assembly of heavy steel plates for the fore and aft blocks of ship hulls and construction of a new shop dedicated to specific hull segments. The capacity of the present painting shop has also been enhanced. 4
The 600-ton cranes were installed in 1972. At that time, about 7,000 tons of steel were required per crane. The new crane, though providing twice the hoisting capacity, requires only 5,000 tons, thanks to the industry’s technological innovations and advanced strength analysis capability, developed over the past 35 years. One outstanding feature of the new crane is its significant wind resistance despite its reduced weight. As the Koyagi Plant is located in an area prone to high winds, the crane adopts an aerodynamic design, based on extensive wind tunnel testing, to fend off strong winds. The crane is designed to withstand gusts of up to 80 meters/second, far stronger than the 55 m/s that goliath cranes are normally designed for. 5
In recent years, the shipbuilding industry has been experiencing unprecedented robust activity. In response, many shipbuilding companies are rapidly forging structures for production capacity expansion; most notable are a rush of new shipyard constructions and a string of capacity expansion programs at existing shipyards in China and Korea. MHI’s program to strengthen its shipbuilding structure, including introduction of the new goliath crane, aims to respond to these market developments. 6
At its height Harland & Wolff boasted 35,000 employees and a healthy order book, but in the years following the cranes’ construction the workforce and business declined. The last ship to be launched at the yard to date was a roll-on/roll-off ferry in March 2003. Since then the yard has restructured itself to focus less on shipbuilding and more on design and structural engineering, as well as ship repair, offshore construction projects and competing for other projects to do with metal engineering and construction. Initially there was concern that the now largely redundant cranes would be demolished. However later in the year they were scheduled as historic monuments under Article 3 of the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. 7
One outstanding feature of the new crane is its significant wind resistance despite its reduced weight. As the Koyagi Plant is located in an area prone to high winds, the crane has an aerodynamic design, based on extensive wind tunnel testing, to fend off strong winds. The crane is designed to withstand gusts of up to 80 meters/second, far stronger than the 55 m/s that goliath cranes are normally designed for. 8
The cranes are to be retained as part of the existing dry dock facility within the restructured shipyard, situated adjacent to the Titanic Quarter, a business, light industrial, leisure and residential development on land now surplus to the heavy industrial requirements of the shipyard on Queen’s Island. They will continue to be used on ship repair projects as well as potential shipbuilding activities in the future. 9
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Tags: capacity enhancement, gantry crane, goliath, heavy industries, heavy steel, ltd, machinery works, mitsubishi, mitsubishi heavy industries, mitsubishi heavy industries ltd, nagasaki prefecture, painting shop, parameters, remnant, romania 1, segments, ship hulls, shipbuilding, shipyard, six months, skyline, steel plates, undefined
Tags: capacity enhancement, gantry crane, goliath, heavy industries, heavy steel, ltd, machinery works, mitsubishi, mitsubishi heavy industries, mitsubishi heavy industries ltd, nagasaki prefecture, painting shop, parameters, remnant, romania 1, segments, ship hulls, shipbuilding, shipyard, six months, skyline, steel plates, undefined