FibreMax has recently delivered a complete set of lightweight aramid fibre stays (crane pendants) to Dutch crane manufacturer Huisman-Itrec. Huisman has built a special purpose 350mt fly-jib for the heavy-lift mast cranes on the mv ‘Happy Buccaneer’ of BigLift Shipping. By installing the 17m super fly-jib, the lifting height and outreach is increased by 50% to respectively 59m above deck and 55m.
With the super fly-jib mounted on the ‘Happy Buccaneer’ the crane has a maximum load of 350mt up to 35m outreach and 250mT load at 50m outreach. After installation of the fibre stays the complete fly-jib has been successfully proofloaded and classified by Lloyd’s Register.
It is the first time ever that aramid fibre cables are used in such an application. The fibre cables have a rated minimum breaking strength of 9,000kN (920mt). Because of the light weight (90% less than steel wire rope) the installation time of the stays and the complete fly-jib is reduced significantly. The stays are maintenance free. They can be man-handled during installation and storage.
The fibre stays comply with the requirements of Lloyd’s Register as specified in the Lloyd’s Code of Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment. Prior to the delivery FibreMax has successfully performed a breakload test on a test stay.
FibreMax lightweight cables are made from aramid Twaron® produced by Teijin Aramid. Aramid fibres are high-performace fibres with unique properties such as long lifespan, low weight, negligible creep, good fatigue properties, and good temperature and chemical resistance.
The heavy-lift mast crane concept, a compact and innovative crane design for heavy lifts, was developed by Huisman in 1983. The ‘Happy Buccaneer’ was outfitted with two heavy-lift mast cranes in 1984.
