Video: World’s largest water bag load test

A load test of 2,420 tonne-metres was completed by Liftek.

The load test was to verify and certify the revolving capacity of a Sapura 3500 deck crane, owned and operated by Sapura Energy, prior to it being deployed at the Yunlin Offshore wind farm project in Taiwan.

Sapura 3500 is an ABS DP3 self propelled heavy lift pipe laying vessel with a 3,500 tonne capacity deck crane and owned and operated by Sapura Energy.

Pandemic planning

Due to travel restrictions from Covid-19, Liftek’s load testing team could not go to Taiwan so frequent virtual meetings and technical discussions between the two companies were done to plan the load test.

Liftek’s involvement on this job included:

• The full rigging and lift plan
• A complete action plan in step-by-step detail
• The method statement
• Supply of all the certified equipment
• Remote training on equipment usage
• Remote assistance during load-test through Teams and live-streaming video.

Four high volume pumps filled the bags in less than five hours and the entire lift was executed in 24 hours.

Equipment used

The equipment used included:

1. Liftek waterbags – 20 x 110 tonne, 8 x 50 tonne and 4 x 35 tonne
2. LMS load monitoring equipment with data logging software
3. 8 x Green Pin power sling shackles
4. 2 x Modulift 1,000 tonne-metre spreader beams
5. Liftek twist-free cable laid grommets and synthetic round slings
6. 4 x high volume pumps.

Catalin Mamaischi, project manager of Sapura Energy, said, “We are impressed with Liftek’s team’s technical knowledge and professionalism and the quality of their waterbags and load test equipment.”

The companies had already worked together previously too in June 2020, when they executed a similar load test of 2,032 tonnes in Malaysia for a bespoke lifting beam.