The Tai Sun crane, named for a mountain in the province, is 122m (400ft) high and 130m (426ft) long and has two 4,800t deadweight lifting beams, each with a lifting capacity of 10,000t (22m lbs).
The gantry resembles a set of asymmetric bars, with cast concrete uprights and square girder lifting beams. The beams are mounted at 89m (292 ft) and 119m high, and have maximum lifting heights of 83m and 113m.
The girders are fitted with a total of 96 hoists, which the shipyard calls ‘unique lifting devices’.
Chinese authorities will use precast concrete weights to test whether the gantry beams can lift a 20% overload.
The gantry is intended to assemble semi-submersible rigs and offshore platforms. At least one of its intended jobs would compete with heavy sheerlegs.
When complete, the gantry will be able to mate an entire outfitted deck box of a semi-rig on to its hull or pontoons in one activity, which will cut the amount of labour needed by half, the shipyard said.
The shipyard has plans to build more than 10 semi-submersible rigs a year by 2010.
The Yantai Raffles gantry crane The Yantai Raffles gantry crane
