The newly refurbished crane demonstrates its might, control and safety
A total refurbishment and transplant of advanced materials handling technology into the 200-ton crane at the heart of operations of the Tulsa Port of Catoosa helped this major inland US port to continue to serve its existing users cost-efficiently while introducing radically expanded logistics capabilities for the future.
The Oklahoma Port – which typically handles more than 2.7 million tons of freight a year – is a major road, rail, and river intermodal shipping complex for U.S. and global companies, particularly those involved in agriculture, including wheat; steel; oil and industrial gas; mining products; and manufactured consumer goods.
The port is served by a sophisticated multi-hoist 200-ton bridge crane which had to be totally stripped and renovated. To ensure top performance and reliability, Whiting Corporation was selected to modernize the crane to the highest standards of safety and reliability as the centerpiece of the new port facilities created by the port over the last two years, including a new 720-ton dock on which the crane is located and 6,000 track feet (1,829m) of new rail.
Swift and thorough renewal of the crane was critical because port authorities expect the completion of expansion of the Panama Canal this year will provide new opportunities for container cargo to be delivered to the Port of New Orleans and onwards into the country’s inland waterway systems, of which the Tulsa Port of Catoosa is a major part.
Working closely with port staff, Whiting Services put in 46 consecutive 10-12 hour days, including weekends and Thanksgiving, to fulfill to complete the modernization project safely and on-time.
Top priorities: to get the work done as safely and as efficiently as possible, while building in technologies and reliability that would serve the port for another 45 years to match the service life of the original dock loading facilities.
The versatile 100 ft. span double girder refurbished crane features two trolleys that each have a main and auxiliary hoist: one with a capacity of 100 Ton / 50 Ton and the other with a capacity of 100 Ton / 40 Ton. With lifting heights of over 90 feet, the crane is integral to tasks such as loading barges that can hold as many as 15 rail cars or 60 truckloads of cargo for maximum cost efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
Freight moves through the port using barge, rail and truck, often in combination, employing transportation assets such as the docks, terminals and the 1.5 mile (2.4km) channel on which they are located. Shippers are now able to load barges directly onto rail or truck, or effectively trans-load between truck and rail, creating a seamless and cost-effective logistics operation for companies ranging from break bulk to manufactured project cargo.
Refurbishment of the crane was preferred to building a new one because of the time and expense involved in constructing a totally new crane with all the features and versatility already contained within the structure of the original purpose-built crane.
“Customers and stakeholders of the Port won both ways through the decision to cost-efficiently rebuild at a substantial saving on the cost of a new design, while also benefitting from the introduction of the latest safety and logistics technologies on the refurbished crane,” said Scott Bort, Senior Industrial Marketing Strategist, Whiting Corporation
“The project was a masterpiece of partnership and planning between Whiting’s crane specialists and a port management team (reporting to Bob Portiss, Port Director for the City of Tulsa Rogers County Port Authority) who oversaw the port upgrade of which the crane refurbishment is an integral part. Work was completed late last year after two years of carefully phased construction.
“We had to do our work as quickly and efficiently as possible to fit within the narrow time frame to bring the crane back online while Tulsa Port of Catoosa continued to serve the 2,500-acre (8km2) complex,” said Bort. The complex already serves more than 70 companies, employing more than 3,000 people and contributing more than $300 million to the local economy. Global and national brands using the facility include ArcelorMittal shipping and mining products, Gavilon fertilizers, Linde engineering, Matrix tanks for the oil and gas industries and Safety-Kleen environmental services.
The crane upgrade – a multi-dimensional jigsaw of phased tasks fitting around minimization of customer inconvenience – involved the Whiting team working with port staff while supported by the full engineering and manufacturing resources of the Whiting Corporation, a leading crane manufacturer and lifting equipment service organization, as well as being an authority on safe lifting. Whiting Corporation supplies diverse industries where safety and reliability are critical, including shipping, railway, aerospace, car and general manufacturing, and power generation, including nuclear power.
In 46 consecutive field days at Tulsa Port of Catoosa, Whiting and Whiting Services took down the old crane; sandblasted, repaired and repainted the few structures remaining on-site; and installed all the new components on machinery both on-site and off-site, in the lay down working area.
Major component upgrades included:
Major phases of the task included:
Removal by mobile cranes of existing trolleys weighing more than 50,000 lbs. each
Whiting Corporation is one of the most respected producers of and custom-manufactured overhead cranes and railcar maintenance and lifting equipment in the U.S., where the Whiting brand has a history of more than 100 years producing durable, safe, reliable, and efficient lifting technology for applications where safety, durability and reliability are critical.
Whiting Services, Inc., specializes in the maintenance and inspection of Whiting overhead cranes and railcar maintenance equipment and, as well as similar equipment of other manufacturers.
Offering round-the-clock and national coverage with professional and experienced technicians, Whiting Services is able to provide world- class services, inspections, maintenance programs, installations, on-site repairs, training and modernizations.
Whiting Corporation is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), which it supports in promoting engineering excellence and outstanding quality and safety standards.
Headquartered in Monee, Illinois, Whiting’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility extends over 197,000 square feet, and is a fully-equipped, integrated manufacturing facility with a complete machine shop for material preparation, fabrication, machining and component assembly and testing. This facility also houses the headquarters and a regional office for Whiting Services, Inc. Whiting Corporation’s mission is to “deliver value through customized, cost-effective solutions which meet the material handling needs of our customers.”