Yantai Raffles dual-beam gantry crane to see first lift this year
Offshore staff
HOUSTON -- Yantai Raffles Shipyard Ltd. expects its Taisun crane to see its first lift in August or September, the company said at the 2008 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.
Taisun is the world's first fixed dual-beam gantry crane, with a lifting capacity of 20,000 metric tons (22,000 tons). It was commissioned two weeks ago by American Bureau of Shipping.
The crane is a world-record holder, lifting 20,133 metric tons (22,193 tons).
To put it in perspective, the company said the crane could lift the Astrodome stadium at Reliant Park in Houston full of people four times.
The crane cost around $40 million to build, said Brian Chang, chairman
of YRS, adding the Chinese government was extremely supportive of their project.
Chang said the ability to lift 20,000 metric tons at a time will save about 2 million man hours on a project that would normally have to move smaller pieces one at a time.
05/06/2008