March 25
The two SUL cranes - each weighing 925 tonnes, measuring 80 m wide and towering 55 m high - were required at the new RWE power plant at the Eemshaven seaport.
The two giant cranes were loaded onto barges in Poland by means of a skidding system, before being barged around the Danish peninsula and continuing their journey to the Eemshaven gateway.
Upon arrival in the Netherlands, the RWE quayside was already fully prepared for the cargoes. The quay had been leveled with a sand-bed in order to safely execute the unloading of the cranes. Due to tidal movements the heavy cranes could not be discharged using a skidding system, unlike in the loading process. Instead, the cranes were rolled-off the barge using two SPMTs in a 22-axle line configuration.
A strong easterly wind in combination with tidal movements led to some delay in the unloading operation, although the first SUL crane was discharged in approximately 45 minutes. Wagenborg Nedlift decided to wait until 48 hours later, when weather conditions had become more favourable, to unload the second crane.
