The wheeled Mantsinen 160 HybriLift hydraulic crane is now operational at Belfast Harbour and, with training well underway, the port’s crane operators are completing ever faster cycle times.
Cooper Specialised Handling’s driver trainer/engineer Jim Barnett is in charge of the training programme, which has led to an immediate, significant improvement in productivity.
First attempts at using this impressive 234t machine – understood to be the biggest crane of its type in the UK – saw operators experience excessive rotation, grab swinging and pauses in grabbing function.
Following a short period of training – as this new video highlights – the operators had worked on their positioning and were able to use the crane at full speed, achieving a 25 second cycle.
The fast cycle speed is a major benefit of the Mantsinen 160 and we’re delighted to report that the times Belfast Harbour’s operators are achieving so soon after completing the requisite training programme has far exceeded the port’s expectations.
Belfast Harbour is a premier gateway to Ireland. Each year it handles liquid, dry and break bulk, as well as containers with tonnages approaching 25million, equating to around 70% of Northern Ireland’s maritime trade and 20% of that for the entire island of Ireland.
Mantsinen’s 160M machine is a wheeled hydraulic crane specified to service vessels visiting Belfast. These range from 4,000-15,000dwt and handle a variety of products, but chiefly coal, scrap, grain and refuse-derived fuel. Consequently, the crane will be supplied with the Mantsinen MC620 quick change coupling device so that attachments can be interchanged in a matter of minutes.
The crane is equipped with a 17.5 metre curved boom and 15 metre stick offering 31 metre horizontal outreach and a capacity of in excess of 10 tonnes at 27 metre extension. It also benefits from the Mantsinen patented cab riser, which can extend 9 metres horizontally from the slew-ring centre to provide optimum visibility into the vessel hold.
In an unprecedented move, the machine has been specified with a 5-axle (20-wheel) undercarriage – more typically seen on the larger Mantsinen 200 crane – to meet Belfast Harbour’s requirement to reduce the individual wheel loadings.
With an overall weight of 234 tonnes, this machine is believed to be the largest hydraulic crane or material handler supplied anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
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