How do you get a 1300kg engine through a space that allows a cigarette paper-sized tolerance with not much more than a block and tackle and a forklift?
That’s what faced the NSS maintenance team when it came to replacing the V12 MAN diesel engine on the company’s signature plant.
That’s the Liebherr LHM 550 mobile harbour crane servicing Berths 3 and 4.
The NSS pride of the fleet was the largest in Townsville, with a lifting capacity of 144 tonnes, NSS Maintenance Manager Jarrod Sawyer said.
NSS relocated the crane up from Gladstone once the Berth 4 upgrade was complete and purchased a new container spreader so they could simultaneously lift two full containers on and off a vessel at 32 tonnes each.
It was a first for Townsville Port, Jarrod said.
NSS crew, with the help of Liebherr technicians, replaced the engine, he said.
“The crane has now been a part of the Townsville landscape for the last six years and as it’s obviously getting older, so we’ve just completed an engine replacement to keep it operating successfully.
“We had to import the correct engine from Europe. We utilised two Liebherr technicians as well as two of our own to remove the existing engine, change a few parts over and then install the new engine.
“It took us around four days to complete the transfer of the V12 engine. We tested it after the first 50 hours and then we’ve got the next test, about to be completed, at 400 (hours).
“We actually had to remove the side wall of the crane and then utilise two lifting beams on a 41-tonne forklift to reach inside.
“And then it wasn’t a great deal of room, but to get it in and out successfully and safely was certainly a job in itself.”
The crane was NSS’ largest mobile asset, Jarrod said.
“It is utilised quite often on anything from container vessels to Rotaboxes, heavy lifts and bulk operations.
“The LHM550 has a larger lifting capacity and a longer reach which allowed us to do an upgrade on it and get the heavier capacity spreader to utilise it on large container vessels and speed up our operation.”
The upgrade brought efficiency and operability benefits for the company, Jarrod said.
The commitment to keep equipment at cutting-edge standard did not come cheaply and the engine was specific to the equipment, he said.
“To get a replacement engine was actually a feat in itself. To go through the original crane manufacturer we were looking at over half a million dollars. Luckily, we identified another supplier whom we’d previously utilised which could supply the same engine while providing some savings to the business.
“Even though it is a crane engine, it’s technically designed for the marine industry. The engine is certainly large, but it is quite compact as well. They’re designed by MAN for Liebherr for their particular cranes, so they’re not really used on any other machinery.”
NSS would also be undertaking further refurbishments to the crane this financial year increasing both efficiency and environmental standards, Jarrod said.
“We are looking at pumps, hose overhauls (and) valves. Just different components that we see that could be a risk to the business. So therefore, , we’re trying to get on top of them before they create an issue to our operation.
“We maintain the cranes to the OEM standard with regular servicing every 500 hours and we also regularly bring in Liebherr technicians to oversee and carry out updates on our cranes as well as an independent engineer to assess our cranes once a year to ensure that everything’s been done correctly.”