Dock Express 10 arriving at the Hanjin terminal in Long Beach

Project Summary

In July 1997, the Dock Express 10 delivered the last two of a series of six 4-th generation container cranes to the new Hanjin terminal in Long Beach, CA. The cranes were built by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Japan and Dockwise Shipping BV was contracted for the delivery. Because of the Gerald Desmond bridge passage with its 155 ft height restriction, these cranes were transported only partly erect, with their fully assembled top sections temporarily secured low between the legs.

Argonautics Marine Engineering was hired to supervise the so-called "Miami" method offloading. After removal of the boom supports and tie downs, the 1,100 t cranes were skidded aft over the ship's outriggers until the crane's landside sill beam could be lowered onto a set of jack boogies, which moved the crane further over the quay. Once in position, the waterside trucks could be rotated and the waterside trucks were lowered onto the rails. The landside was then jacked up for installation of the landside trucks after which these were also lowered onto the rails.

Scope of Work

The project scope included:

• Coordination of activities during offloading;

• Liaison with ship crew, client and its subcontractor, Rigging International;

• Setting-up of rail track and jack boogies as per the Dockwise Offloading Procedure;

• Provision of on-site supervision during actual discharge operations.

Project Photographs

Vessel mooring stern to for offloading of the second crane.	Landing the landside silbeam on the Dockwise self-propelled hydraulic jack boogies.	Rotating the waterside crane trucks before lowering the waterside onto the rails.	Second crane safely offloaded. Installing the landside crane trucks.