Crowland Cranes has completed the UK’s largest-ever recovery of a crane.
In a delicate and meticulously planned operation, a toppled 96-tonne Liebherr crane – which was just two weeks old – was righted and put back on its 16 wheels again.
The accident happened after the £3million purchase by Whyte Crane Hire sank into soft ground in Peterhead, Scotland, five months ago. The operator was not on board at the time.
Due to the sensitive nature of the accident, the final lift was only allowed after lengthy documentation, planning, and legal and Health and Safety Executive investigations completed.
Special lifting equipment was designed and manufactured at Crowland, and a four-man team was sent from the Crease Drove firm to prepare and complete the recovery over a five-day period. The lift was completed using three 500-tonne capacity cranes.
Crowland Cranes managing director Pete Issitt said extra care was taken not to damage the stricken crane any further in order to not invalidate the manufacturer’s warranty.
He added: “All the time and effort put into the recovery was worth it. It all went very smoothly.”
Crowland Cranes is Aviva insurance’s only approved crane repair and recovery centre in the UK.
