The Matson crane barge Mauna Loa in service in Hawaii

Project Summary

In 2007, the two Matson crane barges Haleakala and Mauna Loa, used for the Hawaiian inter-island transports of containers, were to be towed from Hawaii to US West Coast ports for dry docking and maintenance. Based on limited drawings and eye-witness reports from on-site inspectors, combined with locally available materials, a seafastening arrangement for the barge mounted cranes, stowed high on elevated rails, was designed. The crane was secured to the rail support structure. The rail support columns were reinforced by mobilizing the strength of the adjacent cell guide structures. In April of 2007, the Haleakala was successfully towed to San Francisco, CA, and back upon completion of all work. In July of that year, the Mauna Loa was successfully towed to Portland, OR, and back to Hawaii. Both barges are back in service for many more years to come. 

Scope of Work

The project scope included:

• Determine design environmental criteria for the tows;

• Modeling of the barge hull for the motion response and ballast analysis;

• Calculate the design barge motions and resulting inertia loads on the cranes;

• Design securing for the cranes and their support rails;

• Inspect the securings upon arrival in San Francisco. 

Project Photographs

Crane rolled forward on elevated rails.	Crane stowed aft for the tow - against new wheel stoppers.	K-bracing between crane and rail support beam.	Shear plate between rail beam and cell guide structure.