Three weeks in the slow lane to move huge crane

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

It took three weeks of hard graft to move one colossal crane 2km along Auckland's waterfront.

The marathon was like a slow-motion rollerskate ride, as the 52m giant inched along with 320 wheels beneath its feet.

The Ports of Auckland crane started at the Fergusson wharf and ended its journey at the Bledisloe terminal yesterday.

It is not a task to undertake too often.

The big white PACECO crane had to be moved from one terminal to another as part of the port's reconfiguration of its container cranes.

The port expects a huge increase in container freight and bigger ships stopping in Auckland from next year.

Three weeks ago, work began on preparing B Crane - which towers about 17 storeys - for the move.

The 694-tonne crane's four legs were jacked up and placed on huge trailers, each supported by 80 wheels, ready for the tow.

The first leg of the journey - as far as Freyberg Wharf, or nearly halfway - took 19 hours non-stop.

The company employed to move the crane, Rich Rigging and Welding, worked through the night to get it that far.

It demanded precision work. It took two hours just to turn the monster 90 degrees to head west along the waterfront.

Then came the long wait. The crane had to sit for three days at the end of the wharf while cargo was cleared, before it could carry on.

Along the way, there were immovable objects to dodge, like light posts and the Tinley St gatehouse at the southwest end of the Bledisloe terminal.

The final tow took just over 10 hours, before the crane slid on to its new rails on the water's edge.

The big white crane will be tested in its new home on Monday.

Two new cranes will eventually replace B crane on its old site at the Fergusson terminal.

They will be faster and more powerful than the port's existing cranes, able to lift two 6m (20ft) containers simultaneously.

The new monsters, now under construction in Shanghai, will arrive fully built on a special crane transport ship in January.

Around that time, Auckland can expect a wave of bigger container ships coming to call.

The new ships, about one-third bigger than those that dock at the city's wharves today, are built to carry over 4000 6m containers.