Crane rises to the challenge for yacht maker
1 min read
Luxury yacht manufacturer Princess Yachts is using freestanding Goliath cranes from Street Crane to produce its new M Class tri-deck yachts at the Devonport dockyard. The cranes will be used in assembly, allowing large fabrications to be moved and placed as the yachts are fitted out.
To keep the assembly operation under wraps from the weather and from prying eyes, the facility is enclosed by a lightweight wide-span space frame building. This has insufficient strength to accommodate overhead cranes, and freestanding gantries within the structure would have taken up valuable production space. So Street Crane recommended floor running Goliath cranes, using a slim leg design to maximise hook coverage in the manufacturing area.
There are three cranes in use. The main assembly area is serviced by two mirror image Goliath cranes of 16 tonnes safe working load, each spanning almost 14m. These cranes have twin hoists with 8-tonne lifting capacity that can be used independently or in tandem. A 28m-span Goliath crane, with hook coverage over the whole production area, has a single 16-tonne hoist and will share the outer running rail of the smaller Goliaths.
Street Crane's UK manufactured ZX hoists are used throughout, which enable accurate positioning. Each crane has warning beacons, alarms and an automated anti-collision system. Wire-free radio controls allow operators to select the best position, and pendant controls provide a back-up. Princess Yachts uses cranes from Street at all its manufacturing sites.
