Port expansion relies on Manitowocs

The Etermar and CPTP company used three of its Manitowoc crawler cranes during the Port of Leixões expansion in Portugal.

the 400 tonne capacity Model 16000, the 272 tonne capacity Model 2250 and the 250 tonne capacity Model 999 carried out a range of construction projects including walkways and quays. Once complete the expansion will allow the port to receive larger vessels.

The port is on the country's northern shores in the town of Matosinhos, near Portugal's second largest city, Porto. The project is being carried out directly by the port owner, Administração dos Portos do Douro e Leixões, which turned to Etermar and CPTP to handle much of the work.

The Model 16000 was based onshore with 60 m of main boom and handled jobs including positioning large rocks on a sea barrier. The crane also set precast concrete elements weighing up to 70 tonnes during the construction of the port's quay wall.

The Model 2250 worked offshore on a 60 x 22 m pontoon. It placed concrete filled steel piles for the installation of marina walkways. It also placed large supports for a walkway to docked cruise ships. The crane was configured with 51.8 m of main boom.

The Model 999 also worked offshore, in this case on a 24 x 15 m jackup barge. It positioned piles to support a new marina structure for cruise ships. This crane worked with 33.5 m of main boom.

All the cranes finished work on the project at the end of 2010.