Mammoet lifts a sign from Rotterdam tower

At a height of 174 metres, Mammoet used its Tadano CC 38.650-1 lattice boom crawler crane to remove three Rabobank signs from Rotterdam’s Euromast tower

In Rotterdam, Netherlands, crane service provider Mammoet removed three Rabobank logos from the Euromast observation tower, an operation carried out at a dizzying height of 174 metres (571 feet). The work followed the expiration of the advertising contract between Rabobank and Euromast, with the 8 metre (26 foot) signs in place since 2009.

To complete the lift, Mammoet was commissioned by Licht en Reclame Consultants BV and selected a 650 tonne capacity Tadano CC 38.650-1 lattice boom crawler crane.

“The crane easily handled the required height and, thanks to its compact design, could manoeuvre effectively in the restricted space,” said Stefan Plugge, project manager, Mammoet Nederland.

The crane was transported from Mammoet’s nearby Schiedam branch in 38 truckloads, with boom and jib sections delivered separately because of space constraints. With no lay-down area available at the site, components had to arrive just-in-time for assembly. Five Mammoet technicians erected the crane in four days, delaying only the boom installation until the fifth day due to strong winds. Configured in an SWSL 96-96 setup with 250 tonnes (276 US tons) of counterweight, the CC 38.650-1 completed the lifts without the need for its superlift system. Each logo sign weighed approximately 1.8 tonnes (2 tons).

Despite the relatively light loads, the operation demanded careful movement around a tree and a lamppost that restricted the crane’s slewing radius. “There was no position where we could swing freely from pick to set point, so we had to alternate between rotating and repositioning the crane,” added supervisor Lex Bosman. The crawler’s precise handling allowed the team to work within centimetres of the obstacles.

Working within a narrow four-hour window from 6 to 10 a.m., Mammoet safely removed all three signs and restored public access to the Euromast on schedule.