Mammoet, the world’s largest service provider specializing in engineered heavy lifting and transport, brought home the prestigious Job of the Year Award in the jobs over $2 million category from the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association’s (SC&RA) Annual Conference 2016. For the Job of the Year Competition, Mammoet entered the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Recovery Project that took place in Seattle, Washington in 2015.
MAMMOET RECEIVES SC&RA JOB OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR THE TUNNEL BORING MACHINE RECOVERY PROJECT IN SEATTLE
In December 2013, the world’s largest TBM, Bertha, ceased operation 35 meters underneath Seattle after hitting a steel pipe damaging the seal ring and bearing block. It could neither be repaired underground, nor could it be easily retrieved. Mammoet was contracted to lift the 2,000-ton cutter head from a man-made, 35-meter-deep shaft for repair and lower it back down once repairs were complete. Mammoet successfully and safely completed the task by designing and fabricating a unique custom-engineered gantry tower with the world’s first hydraulic equalization system, which evenly dispersed the forces exerted by lifting and tilting the load. It was a necessary innovation as the gantry tower would stand on existing concrete piles used for tunnel stabilization, which were not designed to support loads at height. The result was a ‘self-balancing’ tower gantry that ensured the stability of the entire lifting operation.
Jeroen van Kooperen, Mammoet’s project manager for the TBM project, presented the project to his industry colleagues and a panel of judges with a short presentation and a detailed movie which exhibited footage from the project. The award ceremony took place on 30 April during the SC&RA’s Annual Conference 2016 in Orlando, Florida, USA. The Job of the Year Competition is meant to recognize SC&RA members that solve problems encountered in rigging with innovative ideas, solutions and techniques while maintaining the highest of safety standards.
The SC&RA Annual Conference attracts industry leaders and includes highlights such as education sessions by well-known speakers, committee meetings, various networking opportunities, and different industry awards like the renowned Job of the Year Competition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcqyWoTV6V4
