Discover LINDØ special edition

UK

Special edition

INTERNATIONAL PORT, OFFSHORE, MARITIME, HEAVY INDUSTRIES AND DRY BULK CARGO

Heavy lifting and mobility play together

Test loading of lifting gear

Development of lifting gear

CONTENTS

SPECIAL EDITION

Confidentiality, strong expert competences and close cooperation are the turning point, when LINDØ port of ODENSE develops lifting gear for specialist jobs. p. 10

With unique, specialised facilities and a highly qualified staff within heavy lift operations and transport, LINDØ port of ODENSE is an obvious partner for clients with special jobs involving complex and heavy lifting and transport.

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has entered into an agreement with BMS Heavy Cranes on handling and coordinating lifting and transport of components to its wind turbine towers at Lindø. p. 08

p. 04

Today, cranes play such an important role for the ability of ports to service clients effectively that they are in themselves a parameter for the users’ choice of port. p. 14

PUBLISHED BY LINDØ port of ODENSE A/S www.lpo.dk

EDITORS Susanne Willers suwi@lpo.dk

Noatunvej 2 DK-5000 Odense C

Charlotte Wittenberg cw@lpo.dk

Kystvejen 100 DK-5330 Munkebo

PRODUCTION Mediegruppen A/S

CHIEF EDITOR Carsten Aa, CEO

CIRCULATION 1,000 UK issues Reproduction permitted with clear source reference PUBLISHING Published 3­times a year FRONT COVER Transport of a large construction for a wind turbine foundation produced by Bladt Industries for Iberdrola Photo: Nils Lund

5041 0601 Tryksag

2

LINDØ port of ODENSE

Printed on environmentally approved paper at Swan-labelled printers with an ISO 9001/14001 quality management and environment licence.

EDITORIAL

Dear Reader, To be quite honest; I am rather fascinated by cranes. And I have a hunch that I share this with many people. Actually, the truth is probably that we all - regardless of gender and age - have a bit of a five-year boy in us who just likes to watch engines working.

The bigger, the better! And no, I need to say this right away, it was not because of the 1000-tonne gantry crane that we at the Port of Odense decided to acquire Lindø Industrial Park a little over two years ago. The strong competitive parameter, however, which we can exploit with the crane in our activities is definitely one of our strongest cards in the competition for clients.

Today, LINDØ port of ODENSE (the port of Odense and Lindø Industrial Park) is the third-largest port in Denmark, but it has the strongest crane capacity in the country if we look at cranes operating on bookings by the hour …Plug ’n Play! We have built a strong know-how and a competent force of employees who can supply many types of lifting; bulk, general cargo and special lift operations – and this includes everything from a few tonnes and up to 1000 tonnes. And if you want – and we do! – to be an active partner in the markets that require lifting jobs, we have to ensure that our efforts are concentrated on fields where we create increased value. That is why we focus on our equipment and methods to be constantly upgraded and adapted to current projects, and why we work with our customers - where this is relevant - and not least why we focus on safety and method so that the demands and desires of blue industries become a natural part of our mindset and behaviour … and indeed a core of our business.

Enjoy your reading!

Carsten Aa Managing Director

DISCOVER LINDØ

At LINDØ port of ODENE we have chosen to be an active part of this development. That is why we are presenting this special edition of Discover LINDØ where we focus on our special competences and where we describe some of the many forms of cooperation we have on our terminals.

SPECIAL EDITION

The ports in Europe are undergoing changes. Traditional cargo in ports is professionalised, the maritime clients widen their fields of activities, and special projects in, e.g., offshore wind are growing … and the constructions going offshore are constantly increasing in size.

3

HEAVY LIFTING

4

LINDØ port of ODENSE

Tailor-made for complex, heavy lifting and special transports With unique, specialised facilities and a highly qualified staff within heavy lift operations and transport, LINDØ port of ODENSE is an obvious partner for clients with special jobs involving complex and heavy lifting and transport.

SPECIAL EDITION

PHOTOS: NILS LUND

DISCOVER LINDØ

BY: SUZETTE FROVIN

5

Specialist workers from LINDØ port of ODENSE have an important function at the gantry crane when large constructions are to be handled with millimetre-accuracy

T

he gantry crane is the landmark at Lindø - and rightly so. The enormous crane can lift up to 1000 tonnes, and as it runs on rails, the crane can manage heavy lifts across an area of nearly 120,000 m² which also includes production halls, dry dock and over 200 metres of quay.

ing heavy lifts and special transports, his first contact is Manager Peter Blazejewicz and his employees in the department Lift & Transport – Engineering who will deal with the task. The first step for the engineers is to make a technical clarification of the job to be able to give a qualified description of how to solve the task and give a realistic quote for the job.

All LINDØ port of ODENSE cranes are operated by specially trained operators who have wide experience with heavy and complex lifting jobs. At the same time, the facilities at Lindø are laid out with up to 30-meter wide roads to enable transportation of large units across the site. No other place in Northern Europe has any similar facilities, and this makes LINDØ port of ODENSE an attractive cooperation partner for clients who require tailor-made solutions within heavy lift operations and special transports.

When an agreement has been made with the customer the engineers begin the technical planning phase. This is always in close dialogue with the client. In order to do the technical calculations for the job, detailed technical specifications are required about the item to be moved.

- We offer more than 45 years’ experience in heavy lifts and our know-how in this field is therefore unique. We have a wide selection of cranes and big transport vehicles and an industrial area designed to handle complex lifting and transport assignments. This means a very short time for mobilisation – and thereby also a very competitive price for our clients, says Peter Blazejewicz from LINDØ port of ODENSE. Technical clarification and planning When a client contacts LINDØ port of ODENSE with enquiries of jobs requir-

6

LINDØ port of ODENSE

The technical planning ends up with a set of documents that will serve partly as documentation for the client and partly as instructions for the operational phase of the lift or transport job.

For a complex lift job a documentation package will typically include a capacity calculation of crane and lifting gear (Rigging Calculation), a description of method (Lift Plan), a set of drawings (Lift Instruction), a Risk Assessment and documentation of the legal certification and maintenance for the cranes and lifting gear to be used for the job.

A complete package As a point of departure, it is up to the client whether he wants the expert team of LINDØ port of ODENSE or his own engineers to be in charge of the technical planning. Most clients actually prefer

that the Lindø crew handles the planning as they have the expert knowledge in technical and practical planning of heavy, complex lifts and special transports, and they are familiar with the facilities of the area and can target the efforts so that the job is performed both effectively and responsibly. If the client himself provides the technical planning, the plan has to be approved by the LINDØ port of ODENSE engineers before the job can be initiated in order to ensure that the current safety instructions and standards are observed.

Depending on the nature of the job and its complexity, the work involved in the technical planning may take from a couple of days up to six months. Projects of a long time frame are typical of the offshore industry, where the client has to present the operative plans to his insurance company several months ahead of the scheduled time of operation.

Lifting capacity of up to 1000 tonnes The gantry crane is a particular asset to the transport division of LINDØ port of ODENSE and to the clients. The crane has a lifting capacity of 1000 tonnes, and at the same time it can move items over great distances in one lift, work very precisely and turn over items in mid air without the assistance from other cranes or vehicles. This means that heavy and complex lifting operations may be accomplished both quickly and effectively.

Focus on safety Once the client has approved the technical planning, the department Lift & Transport - Engineering will pass on the task to Lift & Transport - Operations.

Peder Rasmussen is the day-to-day manager of Operations, which has a staff of 31, including supervisors, planner, crane operators and riggers. Based on the technical planning, the department Lift & Transport - Operations takes care of the practical planning of the job and immediately prior to initiation, all staff involved, including the client’s staff, get together for a so-called toolbox talk, where the manager of the operation goes through the process and the team finally clears which job in the process goes to what person.

This process may seem troublesome to outsiders, but safety for the people involved in the project is paramount. At the same time, the review of the operation with all persons involved ensures that LINDØ port of ODENSE can maintain a high degree of quality in performing the job - thereby also avoiding damage to goods and equipment.

- Safety is the turning point in everything we do. The technical and practical planning of every single process of operation is always aimed at a safe and sound execution of the operation. With heavy and com-

Obviously, this also means that projects always observe the relevant regulations of the Danish Working Environment Authority. Moreover, LINDØ port of ODENSE calculates and performs heavy, complex lifting operations under the internationally acknowledged standards of DNV, unless the client has specific wishes for the job to be performed according to other acknowledged standards.

LINDØ port of ODENSE Lift & Transport department focuses exclusively on crane operations and the heavy project transports. The proper stevedoring activities such as lashing cargo, handling cargo with forklift trucks and general transports with lorries and flat-bed trucks are performed by the suppliers contracted by

the client. They could be external shipping companies or one of the shipping companies who are tenants of LINDØ port of ODENSE. To clients there are great advantages of working with the versatile companies that are tenants of LINDØ port of ODENSE, because they offer specialist competences within the area and at the same time they know the facilities at Lindø. This gives clients easy access to the required competences to solve the job in the best possible way.

- Most of the clients wish that our expert team provides a total solution for a lifting or transport job. This makes good sense as we obviously have thorough know­ledge of all the facilities in our areas. Therefore we have the possibility to offer a tailormade solution to each individual project.

This means that we are always able to guarantee efficiency, high standards of safety and quality in solving the assignment, says Peter Blazejewicz. u

Good facilities for bulk cargo LINDØ port of ODENSE’s Terminal North is a relatively big bulk port where experienced semi-skilled workers/crane operators handle cargos of clean steel, scrap metal, aggregates, feedstuff, rapeseed, fertilisers, coal or bio-materials (wood chips). LINDØ port of ODENSE solves bulk tasks for tenant companies as well as external clients who wish to make use of the facilities for their further distribution of bulk cargo. Bulk carriers of up to 45,000 DWT and a draught of up to 9.8 m, carrying up to 32,000 tonnes call at Terminal North. The water depth is 11 m.

SPECIAL EDITION

- Logistically, Lindø is tailor-made to handle big transports and heavy, complex lifts with very little or no reloading. This makes operation efficient and it minimises the potential risk of damage as the gantry crane can move items from the quay to the production hall in one lift and vice versa, says Peter Blazejewicz.

plex lifting operations things can go really wrong, if they do, and therefore we never compromise on safety, Peter Blazejewicz and Peder Rasmussen say in concord.

The cranes on Terminal North (the bulk terminal) can handle up to 1,200 tonnes/ hour, and a chip grab of 60 m3 is also available. In addition to tailor-made bulk facilities the staff are also specialists in unloading and loading bulk at a high turnover rate. This ensures efficiency in the distribution of bulk cargo. In 2015, well over 1,500,000 tonnes of cargo was handled at Terminal North.

DISCOVER LINDØ

LINDØ port of ODENSE also disposes of a number of rail-based dockside cranes that can lift up to 100 tonnes and mobile cranes with a capacity of up to 144 tonnes. Clients may also have access to special transport vehicles, the so-called Shipyard Transporters (SYT) that can handle up to 1110 tonnes on one single vehicle and special transports up to 2000 tonnes.

At the City Terminal in Odense, well over 1,000,000 tonnes of bulk cargo was handled in 2015. At the City Terminal, ships of up to 140 m length and 6.8 m draught can berth. The water depth is 7.5 m. / LOOKOUT FEBRUAR 2016calls.

In 2015, LINDØ port of ODENSE’s terminals had a total of 1,434

7

7

The Burbo Bank Extension Project MHI Vestas manufactures 32 wind turbines for DONG’s offshore wind park Burbo Bank Extension in the UK. The V164 nacelles for the turbines are produced on site in a 30,000 square metre production hall at Lindø. The towers for the turbines are manufactured in Aabenraa. From here the bottom sections are shipped to Lindø for fitting out before they are shipped to Belfast.

The 8-megawatt turbine is the world’s biggest, and once Burbo Bank Extension is established, the 32 turbines will be able to produce power for well over 180,000 British homes.

8

LINDØ port of ODENSE

HEAVY LIFTING

Cooperating on major projects MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has entered into an agreement with BMS Heavy Cranes on handling and coordinating lifting and transport of components to its wind turbine towers at Lindø. LINDØ port of ODENSE is a sub-contractor for the project.

PHOTOS: NILS LUND

- Our efforts are concentrated on simplifying work processes as much as possible, and to achieve this we have a project manager committed to all activities of lifting and transport at Lindø.

We have chosen to work with BMS Heavy Cranes for this job, because they know us and our requirements of quality, says Jesper Østermark, Pre-assembly Project Manager of MHI Vestas.

BMS Heavy Cranes has a small office at the customer at Lindø, which is the base for the four employees who do the day-to-day planning, coordination and handling of the tasks of lifting and moving MHI Vestas’ components across the site. Their work is done in close cooperation with LINDØ port of ODENSE’s department of Lift & Transport.

- We are the project managers of the task, but the close cooperation with the people of LINDØ port of ODENSE is vital to ensure that all jobs are solved as smoothly as possible, and that there is always 100 per cent focus on safety, says Mogens Kirstein, manager of BMS Heavy Cranes’ Offshore department.

To LINDØ port of ODENSE it’s about placing the facilities of Lindø at the disposal of our clients in a way that means the most to them. Some tenants use LINDØ port of ODENSE as their project manager for complex lifting and special transports, whereas others, such as MHI Vestas, wish to have an external partner to take on the job of planning and coordinating lifting and transport jobs together with LINDØ port of ODENSE. In the project at hand,

the cooperation between BMS Heavy Cranes and LINDØ port of ODENSE even makes good sense as the two partners supplement one another. Lindø has unique lifting facilities along the quay, while BMS Heavy Cranes places mobile cranes and specialist vehicles (SPMTs) at the disposal for the project.

- We welcome external operators such as BMS Heavy Cranes because we can supplement one another in solving the tasks. And as long as suppliers observe Danish legislation, our clients are absolutely free to choose the company they wish to work with for an assignment, says Peter Blazejewicz, Manager, Lift & Transport – Engineering, LINDØ port of ODENSE. In our daily work this means that we have a close cooperation between LINDØ port of ODENSE and BMS Heavy Cranes’ project office. Particularly when components arrive from Aabenraa, and when the finished tower sections are going to be shipped to Belfast, planning and coordination among the project partners are indeed of vital importance. Our cooperation ensures that calculations, procedures and operations live up both to approved standards and to the requirements of MHI Vestas.

In the big operations with unloading and loading components, around 20 people from MHI Vestas, BMS Heavy Cranes, LINDØ port of ODENSE and the ship all join in. In order to ensure that work tasks and the distribution of liability in the task are observed, a toolbox talk is held for all involved partners in the morning before the ship is unloaded. This means that everybody knows his task and knows who does what and when.

- For cooperation to be at its best, an open dialogue and a current flow of information is necessary. This ensures that we can accomplish our operations with the highest possible efficiency and safety. As an external project manager we experience that the cooperation with LINDØ port of ODENSE on complex lifting operations and special transports is both productive and professional, says Mogens Kirstein. u

SPECIAL EDITION

I

n the next 12 months, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind is due to deliver turbines to the Burbo Bank Extension wind park in the UK. Part of the production takes place in Aabenraa and from here the bottom sections for the towers are shipped to Lindø. Once the tower sections arrive from Aabenraa, the Lindø gantry crane will unload the towers from ship to quay and raise them to a vertical position. From here, the towers are transported to MHI Vestas’ Post-Manufacturing area. MHI Vestas has entered an agreement with the crane company BMS Heavy Cranes of Aalborg to be the main contractor for all transport and lifting on the areas of Lindø.

DISCOVER LINDØ

BY: SUZETTE FROVIN

9

HEAVY LIFTING

Test loading of lifting gear Specialised knowledge, flexible lifting up to 1000 tonnes and the possibility for constructing a complex rigging and ballast all make LINDØ port of ODENSE an obvious cooperation partner when companies need test loading and certification of new lifting gear.

BY: SUZETTE FROVIN

PHOTO: FYNS KRAN UDSTYR

T

est loading of specialised lifting gear is often a requirement for the gear to be certified prior to use. The test is actually a quality control which ensures that new lifting gear observes international standards and may be CE marked as prescribed by law. A qualified test therefore requires specialised knowledge about lifting and the correct ballast.

In 2015, FYNS KRAN UDSTYR, Funen Crane Equipment, developed a lifting tool that is tailor-made for mounting offshore transition pieces (TP) for the wind turbine industry. At the time when the tool needed to be test loaded and certified, FYNS KRAN UDSTYR chose to cooperate with LINDØ port of ODENSE about the test.

- Lindø’s gantry crane has the muscles we need when we require testing and certification of equipment such as our TP-tool which must be able to handle very heavy loads, says Torben Wiberg Rasmussen of FYNS KRAN UDSTYR. LINDØ port of ODENSE’s department of Lift & Transport – Engineering receives drawings of the lifting gear from the client.

They form the basis for the department’s calculations and planning of the test loading.

- Testing our specialised TP-tool is not the simplest task in the world. We needed to simulate a complicated lifting operation and we had some very specific requirements of how to position the load during the lifting. Therefore we chose a cooperation partner who not only has the necessary facilities but who also has the knowledge of making up a test which meets the acknowledged standards, says Torben Wiberg Rasmussen, Product Manager, FYNS KRAN UDSTYR.

- The entire objective with test loadings of the nature which FYNS KRAN UDSTYR has made in cooperation with us is for the client to obtain a Load Test Certificate after the test. We have good facilities for implementing this very type of tests at Lindø and we have both experience and know-how to make the required calculations and to plan a realistic test that meets the official guidelines for load tests, says Peter Blazejewicz, Manager, Lift & Transport Engineering of LINDØ port of ODENSE.

LINDØ port of ODENSE also handled the calculations leading up to the test and in close cooperation with FYNS KRAN UDSTYR, Lindø planned the procedure of the complex test. The test of the TP-tool would simulate a lifting operation of many tonnes within a very small area where it was even very difficult to get a proper grip of the item.

Part of the preparations for the test is about the configuration of the ballast and the rigging in a way that the load test can simulate real-world lifting and thereby make the load test as close to reality as possible. With a lifting height of up to 75 metres in the gantry crane, it is possible to construct the rigging in a way that the lifting gear is subjected to the load on precisely the points, the client wants. Along with the unique facilities and the employees’ thorough knowledge of working with complex lifting, LINDØ port of ODENSE is capable of implementing tests of lifting gear which meet the client’s requirements and at the same time observe acknowledged standards for certification. u

Maximum load During a test load, the lifting gear is typically subjected to 150 per cent of the nominal load limit. For the TP-tool this meant that the test load of well over 970 tonnes very

10

nearly reached the maximum load for the gantry crane of Lindø. The very gantry crane is one of the things that makes LINDØ port of ODENSE an obvious cooperation partner for FYNS KRAN UDSTYR.

LINDØ port of ODENSE

11

DISCOVER LINDØ

SPECIAL EDITION

HEAVY LIFTING

Development of lifting gear:

All competences are engaged Confidentiality, strong expert competences and close cooperation are the turning point, when LINDØ port of ODENSE develops lifting gear for specialist jobs. Here we give you an insight into the work of tailoring lifting gear for jacket foundations.

BY: SUZETTE FROVIN

12

LINDØ port of ODENSE

PHOTO: CETEX

The steel structures, which are to be handled by the lifting gear, are offshore jackets that will act as foundations for 41 offshore wind turbines in the wind park Wikinger in the German part of the Baltic Sea. When assembled, a single jacket weighs 650 tonnes. The primary parts of the jacket foundations are joined and welded into so-called sub-jackets in a 10,095 m2 large hall at Lindø. From here, the nearly 500-tonne heavy and 55-metre tall sub-jackets are lifted up through the mobile roof of the production hall. The gantry crane up-ends the sub-jackets in one inair rotation. Subsequently the top of the jacket foundations (the transition pieces), weighing approx. 170 tonnes, are lifted up in place. The last lifting takes place when the finished jackets are loaded on to barges that take them to the wind park in the Baltic Sea. Development is initiated In the first part of the process, LINDØ port of ODENSE’s requirements and

CERTEX’ engineers then made the drawings, calculations and risk analyses of the solutions they assessed would be the best suitable for the project. On this background the three parties of the project agreed on the final solution and CERTEX completed the drawings which were then sent back for approval.

- The close cooperation with LINDØ port of ODENSE is a great gain for the project. Our engineers have all the necessary data at their disposal in the entire process and this means that we can tailor the equipment to meet both the client’s requirements and the physical conditions at Lindø, says Jan Lindberg Larsen, Solution Center Manager of CERTEX. The finished product was received by LINDØ port of ODENSE as a 3D file which was paired with 3D models of Lindø, the gantry crane and the jacket elements. The 3D models allow testing the way in which the lifting gear will function even before the equipment is put into production.

Confidentiality means better outcome - Throughout the entire process we have experienced close cooperation between all parties to the project. There has been a wide openness in the work and it is important for us that we can develop a solution which is practically applicable and efficient, says Jan Lindberg Larsen and continues: - At the same time, LINDØ port of ODENSE is thinking on the long term, so we have developed lifting equipment which may also be used in other connections, both by the client and by new clients at Lindø, says Jan Lindberg Larsen.

The work of tailoring effective lifting gear which at the same time observes international requirements and standards is an iterative process where confidentiality is a precondition. Therefore the three parties entered a confidentiality agreement which has provided CERTEX with access to as much knowledge as possible of the items to be handled.

- The solution we have developed is very much the result of the fact that we have joined competences and know­ ledge from all three parties. We could not have developed the same targeted solution without either confidentiality or the close cooperation and the openness that have characterised the progress, says Jan Lindberg Larsen. u

SPECIAL EDITION

- We have good experiences with developing complex, tailor-made solutions for our gantry crane in cooperation with CERTEX. For one thing, CERTEX’ engineering department has the required know-how and capacity to solve this very type of job, and for another they have good technical experience of the gantry crane for which the lifting gear would be developed. Therefore it was obvious to choose CERTEX as a cooperation partner for this job, says Peter Blazejewicz, Manager, Lift & Transport – Engineering.

wishes were described to CERTEX’ engineers so that they had a precise image of the task. LINDØ port of ODENSE also arranged for CERTEX to have exact descriptions of the components, the finished jackets and of the environment in which the items would be handled.

There is full attention during the last preparations before a 900 t load test.

DISCOVER LINDØ

I

n early September 2015, LINDØ port of ODENSE contacted CERTEX Denmark, a developer of special equipment within hoists, lifting and lashings for a wide range of industries. LINDØ port of ODENSE needed to develop specialised lifting gear to move the jacket foundations which are produced in the Industrial Park by Bladt Industries. The lifting gear that CERTEX was assigned to develop was to be used for assembling, up-ending and load-out of gigantic steel structures from the Bladt Industries production hall at Lindø.

13

HEAVY LIFTING

Port Cranes:

Heavy lifting and mobility play together Today, cranes play such an important role for the ability of ports to service clients effectively that they are in themselves a parameter for the users’ choice of port. Both the big gantry cranes that can really grab the heaviest of loads and the increasing use of mobile cranes give the answer to the obvious needs of industry, shippers and offshore in the areas of wind turbine as well as oil/gas. At the same time, requirements of safety and certification have come to the centre of attention.

BY: FINN BRUUN

14

PHOTOS: NIELS LLUND

LINDĂ˜ port of ODENSE

15

DISCOVER LINDØ

SPECIAL EDITION

F

or Tom Elmer Christensen from the Danish Ports – a private association of commercial ports in Denmark – the requirement for flexible crane capacity is not unknown. But he also indicates that the demands on crane capacity is increasing concurrently with the size of the constructions. ­Today most ports with industrial activities have one or more cranes for the current activity, but often you see much more flexible solutions where the ports lease such services from a crane company. For ports which handle large and heavy constructions you see a combination where the existing cranes in the ports are used to handle the projects together with the custumers’ leased equipment. It is clear that both the ports and their customers have increased ­focused on their investments.

working on expanding its quays, Skagen Port has hardly completed its expansion than they publish their next expansion, Frederikshavn Port has gained fair winds with its expansions and is considering whether to proceed, Aalborg Port is investing in fairly large areas right now and is buying infrastructure on the port area.

LINDØ port of ODENSE is working on a port expansion of 400,000 sq.m. And also Vordingborg Port has invested and Nakskov Port is about to start, so we are indeed seeing fairly high investments.

Indeed, the ports have not been reluctant to invest even during times of crisis:

Port Investments Tom Elmer Christensen underlines that investments by the ports have not eased off.

The way Tom Elmer Christensen sees it, the Danish government has asked offshore wind in Denmark to hove-to, so nobody is shouting for more space for offshore right now.

- This also includes recently expanded ports which have plans: Rønne Port is

- Their strategy has been right. No one is left with empty space because of wrong investments. Even though some have expanded quite heavily, they are still doing business where they expanded.

- In return, now drilling platforms and other equipment are coming in for repairs at a time when there is not too much business in having them out there drilling and pumping. So right now, business is available for Frederikshavn, Esbjerg, Hirtshals and Lindø. There is plenty of work in retro-fitting and restoration. Obviously, these are offshore installations. There are not too many ships to be built, although the repair yards at Lindø, Assens, Søby, Skagen and Frederikshavn are having good times, says Tom Elmer Christensen.

Certification is a must In the trade organisation for cranes Kranbranchen under Danish Industry, Chairman Eno Hausner, CEO of SKS Cranes, points to an overall high level of business in the crane trade. This applies to both new cranes and to servicing of existing equipment. In addition, there is a growing interest in certification and safety.

- My impression is that everybody is fairly busy. Presently, we feel that we benefit from the positive development in the industry, but we have indeed experienced

Shipping.dk Shipping.dk has offices in a number of Danish and foreign ports. The head office is in the town of Fredericia. Shipping.dk specialises in stevedoring, chartering, warehousing and agency transactions. This also covers planning and handling of heavy lifting and specialist transports Working as agents, Shipping.dk also handles the ordering of pilot and tug, coordination of yard calls, provision of spare parts for ships and coordination and rental of gear for loading/un-loading and onward transport.

At Lindø, Shipping.dk has an office where the company coordinates jobs such as e.g. stevedoring, clearing and coordination of yard stay. - For a ship’s agent, Lindø is interesting because we have access to a gantry crane and other lifting gear which are found nowhere else in Denmark. The specialised facilities provide other opportunities for the ships that arrive at Lindø.

We see this as an added benefit both for our clients and for ourselves in our work with stevedoring and as agents, says Arne W. Hansen, Shipping.dk.

Photo: Shipping.dk

16

LINDØ port of ODENSE

that this may rapidly change to a halt.

There is an unknown factor that may play a part, from oil prices to financial markets, says Eno Hausner, who is noticing that at least some of the desire to invest has come back.

Also mobile cranes - On the area of ports, industrial ports, there are stories of positive developments on many sites. Where cargo is handled, some kind of crane is indeed required, and if we are talking of big industrial ports such as Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense – you will see the genuine port cranes, whereas other ports usually manage with mobile cranes which cover their requirements. I understand that tonnage has been climbing upwards and thereby the need for port cranes has intensified, he says.

- However, in general, the request is for new cranes for new investments, new constructions, new buildings, new industrial buildings and requests are also for service of the many industrial cranes that our customers have all over the country.

- It is my impression that the lifting gear crews are really busy and that focus is on getting the right lifting gear with the right CE marking. At the same we see a growing interest in the industry for the certification scheme we have where we ensure that our employees join courses and are tested at examinations so that we are certain that they have both skills and theory in place when we send them out to our clients. This is becoming increasingly important, Eno Hausner stresses Safe technology He points out that the crane industry is characterised by known technologies, but that development is constantly taking place: - There are increasing efforts to have crane data adapted precisely according to the individual client’s requirement.

This means, for instance, that when a crane is idle - and has positioned its load - it can accelerate or lift faster than with a load. This is a facility which is gaining ground as well as anti-slack rope safety

schemes which make the cranes safer and result in fewer faults for the crane users because the faults are caught by electronic equipment in the same way that our motor cars become increasingly more safe to drive, Eno Hausner explains.

Documentation is vital With Konecranes, the world-wide company - also on large port cranes Martin Olsen, Head of Port Services Denmark finds that there is a tendency that clients make increasingly higher demands of documentation and certification: - Port clients make increasingly higher demands which means that they want to see documents, so we issue more and more certificates and more documentation that the ports can show their users when they call.

- This is the tendency in the entire world market. Previously this was not a direct requirement from shipping lines that they wanted to see documents of cranes, but now it is a big part of marketing that you are in control of processes, and therefore they require the documents

G. Sunesen ApS G. Sunesen ApS, the Funen shipping company, is engaged in chartering as well as stevedoring and agency business for companies at Lindø and for clients at DK and abroad who see opportunities in making use of the facilities of LINDØ port of ODENSE.

DISCOVER LINDØ

Unloading of project cargo in Lindø Industrial Park.

Photo: G. Sunesen ApS

- Depending on the client’s requirements and wishes, we engage in partial projects or total solutions. We have many years’ experience and know-how within transport and we have big knowledge of the facilities in the Industrial Park. We cooperate with LINDØ port of ODENSE on coordinating heavy, complex lifting and transport jobs so that projects are completed as smoothly as possible for the client, says Niels Vester of G. Sunesen ApS.

SPECIAL EDITION

In its capacity as agents, G. Sunesen ApS coordinates projects in connection with handling large industrial components. This may include loading and unloading of big structures and onward transport of the structures either to businesses at Lindø or in the vicinity. Moreover, G. Sunesen services ships that call on Lindø for repair and maintenance.

17

ket. It’s not gigantic what is going on in Denmark for the time being. You don’t necessarily strike gold by being a shipyard these days, and this has an impact on the operation and maintenance of the cranes, he says and stresses that even though business is not booming in Denmark, container traffic has gone up similar to the rise in industry.

The demands for safety and documentation are high because it is a big part of the marketing for port customers to be conscious of their affection on the environment. from yards and ports to be certain that things are in order, he states.

- In Denmark, the market is relatively small compared with the world mar-

- However, this does not mean that we are seeing an optimisation of cranes in general. What we see is that port mobile cranes are becoming increasingly popular even though it is difficult to say whether this is for a short or a lengthy period. It may turn out that they are not quite as effective as the rail-based cranes, he says and states that mobile port cranes make certain requirements of maintenance.

- In general, our business has not changed radically within the past three years. Today, we are holding 75 per cent of the Danish market where rail-based port cranes are concerned. We have noted a slight decline in the use and maintenance of cranes at the yards - some have

DSV Projects DSV Projects is part of DSV Air & Sea, the world’s fifth largest transport and logistics enterprise with a staff of 44,000 people, globally. At Lindø, DSV Projects is specialised in wind related activities both onshore and offshore and in major projects related to industry. Presently, DSV Projects is committed to projects for two of the big tenants of Lindø, MHI Vestas and Bladt Industries. DSV Projects has previously completed projects also for Siemens Offshore. For MHI Vestas, DSV Projects is in charge of carriage of wind towers and blades which are shipped from Aabenraa to Lindø, and for Bladt Industries, DSV Projects is engaged in carriage from Finland to Lindø. For the current projects, DSV Projects is coordinating the ship’s arrival and in charge of the entire agency work, just as the shipping company is coordinating the crane work in collaboration with LINDØ port of ODENSE. Moreover, DSV Projects is assigned to coordinating a number of other jobs such as welding.

- In this way we act as an intermediary between our clients who are tenants of Lindø and the staff who are involved in the operation of the gantry crane and specialist transport. Our collaboration with LINDØ port of ODENSE is fine and we have a clear

18

LINDØ port of ODENSE

not as much momentum as before, but still most of the activities take place in Scandinavia. Particularly in Norway and Sweden we are committed to big renovations, upgrading of old cranes and installation of new ones, says Martin Olsen.

Marker for progress - The world of cranes is the first place to feel increasing business – 80 per cent of what we consume and use in Denmark arrives via a port, whether in containers or as fuel. We are talking about a level which is in the range of 2008/2009 in terms of imports and handling. This gives an indication of a higher investment interest by Danes and we can feel that more Danish businesses are taking home their production from Asia, perhaps because they realise that their products run the risk of being copied, Martin Olsen finds, and stresses that this may be one of the reasons why China is declining.

Legal requirements of cranes - However, much of what we are doing is in fact governed by law. So whether the ports take 100,000 or 20,000 contain-

DSV Projects is loading M/V ANDANTE at Lindø 19 August 2015.

Foto: DSV division of labour between us which means that projects can be implemented as effectively as possible, says Ricky Vanman Bartsch, Project Manager with DSV Projects Lindø.

ers they still have to have their statutory inspections, but I wish to state that the trend in the industry today is that focus now is concentrated on safety. This is a clear common denominator for all ports.

They are aware that various documents are now as important as the actual production with the crane. This has given us a sensible and guiding method of working with the equipment. It is safety first.

At the same time, focus is concentrated on the right people for the jobs - in contrast to previously when it was ok for the local blacksmith to do a bit of welding on things.

Today, quality, documentation and certificates have to be dead straight – if this is not the case, you will get into trouble with the clients, says Martin Olsen of Konecranes.

Jakob Svane of Danish Industry Transport, who is responsible for the area of ports, stresses that the impression is that the crane issue is handled well on the market terms and therefore

not an issue with which the organisations are much involved:

crane capacity, says CEO Johannes Bie, Offshoreenergy.dk.

- We see it as something that is solved locally and which also works well in terms of the market. But we are seeing a trend that cranes are growing in size and fast, and we see productivity improvements all along the way, says Jakob Svane.

Some unloading activities are going on from Esbjerg, whereas things like jackets are better handled at Lindø with its giant and well-functioning crane that can roll over the production area and out over the dock and quay as well. This is fantastic in combination with runways on major parts of the area that can take these heavy constructions. This provides a crane cover which I have seen nowhere else than at Lindø. There are not many places that can handle jackets of 700-800 tonnes, he stresses.

Many port investments - When it comes to the overall investment level, much has been invested and is still being invested in new port areas.

This is well in step with market demand.

But one may be somewhat worried on two fronts: Firstly, one can ask whether there is a demand for the many investment plans. However, here we do anticipate that investments are not running wild, but follow the pace of demand.

Offshore is growing - Cranes for offshore activities in the oil/ gas area are mainly for decommissioning, whereas in the wind area, shipping of towers, nacelles and other large items is something that requires considerable

- Wind is growing. And what needs to be shipped is also growing. If Bladt and others can keep their production in Denmark, the requirement will remain in the country, for there is not much Danish work left on the actual installation part aside from Horns Rev and probably Kriegers Flak. Afterwards the markets are called Germany and Britain, so we need to be good to keep things in Denmark. u

- Our job is to be project managers both with stevedoring in connection with load out of wind turbines for the installation port and with logistic tasks in connection with the production at Lindø. The facilities at Lindø give us access to the required lifting and transportation capacity just as we have

Transport of foundations to the Baltic II project for Hochtief.

Photo: Blue Water Shipping the opportunity to rent space in storage halls that can manage the components we currently handle for MHI Vestas, says Kim Thygesen, Head of Blue Water Shipping Lindø.

DISCOVER LINDØ

Blue Water Shipping has specialised in handling components for the wind industry. At Lindø, Blue Water Shipping typically acts as a project manager in connection with loading and unloading ships. In addition, they undertake jobs of production logistics and they receive and handle big components for companies such as Bladt Industries, Siemens, Lindø Steel, Gardit and MHI Vestas. Another task undertaken by Blue Water Shipping is the storing of components for MHI Vestas until they are due for production.

SPECIAL EDITION

Blue Water Shipping Blue Water Shipping was founded in Esbjerg in 1972 and is today a world-wide enterprise with a staff of 1,500 people, globally. Blue Water Shipping has been present at Lindø since 2011 and has therefore a detailed knowledge of cranes and complicated lifting at Lindø

19