Whiting has transplanted advanced material handling technology into a 200t overhead crane at the Tulsa port of Catoosa.

Whiting refurbishes 200t bridge crane at Tulsa port

The port is served by a sophisticated multi-hoist 200t bridge crane, which had to be totally stripped and renovated. The renewal of the crane was critical because port authorities expect the completion of expansion of the Panama Canal this year will provide new opportunities for container cargo to be delivered to the Port of New Orleans and onwards into the country’s inland waterway systems, of which the Tulsa Port of Catoosa is a major part.

Working closely with port staff, Whiting Services put in 46 consecutive 10-12 hour days, including weekends and Thanksgiving, to complete the modernisation project safely and on-time.

The project involved the removal of existing trolleys and old runway rails. There was also the lifting and removal of the drive and idle girders – weighting over 114,000lbs each – which were taken by multi-wheel transporter to the project laydown years for stripping and replacement.

Major component upgrades included: new built-up 100/50 and 100/40 Ton 17’ gauge outdoor trolleys; new bridge wheel assemblies with eight new 30”-diameter 90º MCB wheel assemblies to fit existing end trucks; bridge drives, supports and jack shafts; an automated rail clamping system that secures the overhead crane bridge during storm-force winds; new runway and bridge rails; ergonomic climate-controlled driver’s cab with console chair system; and flux vector/variable frequency drive controls capable of individual and simultaneous motions between trolley hoists.

With lifting heights of over 90 feet, the crane is integral to tasks such as loading barges that can hold as many as 15 rail cars or 60 truckloads of cargo for maximum cost efficiency and minimal environmental impact.

Whiting refurbishes 200t bridge crane at Tulsa port

 Gantry cranes are quite simply lifting devices on legs. Julian Champkin looks at this most useful of concepts.

Gantry cranes are instantly recognisable as a type: they are, quite simply, a horizontal girder on legs. The girder carries a trolley and hoist, and the legs can generally move, on rails, tyres or casters depending on the function and the size of the crane.

A close-up of ‘Big Red’ at Niagara
A close-up of ‘Big Red’ at Niagara
Gantry cranes by Künz at the Schwaiger Holzindustrie log yard
Gantry cranes by Künz at the Schwaiger Holzindustrie log yard
Graham Construction & Engineering in Canada used two gantry cranes to reconstruct a bridge (
Graham Construction & Engineering in Canada used two gantry cranes to reconstruct a bridge (

Graham Construction & Engineering in Canada used two gantry cranes to reconstruct a bridge (1)
Graham Construction & Engineering in Canada used two gantry cranes to reconstruct a bridge (1)
Konescranes’ rail-mounted gantry crane will span six rail lines in Kazakhstan
Konescranes’ rail-mounted gantry crane will span six rail lines in Kazakhstan

Sizes can range from the ultra-light and portable – as used in a host of auto repair shops for lifting engines from their chassis – to some of the very largest and heaviest cranes in the world. Typically, these latter are installed in shipyards and go by the name of Goliath cranes. What is claimed as the world’s largest was installed by Konecranes at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and weighs 6,500t, spans 210m and can lift 2,000t.

They have been in use, almost unchanged in general outline, for more than 2,000 years; the Romans used man-powered gantry cranes. That, and the fact that it is so scalable, points to a machine that is fit for purpose. Indeed, no fundamental change in the design has happened until very recently (for that, see nearer the end of the article). But we will start with more standard designs of the larger gantry cranes.

Typical applications for these are in metal or timber stockyards and hydro power station turbine halls. An example is an installation currently under way for the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The authority is the largest state public power organisation in the US, and more than 80% of the power it produces is sourced renewably. This is in no small part due to the hydro power produced by some of the 3,000 tons of water that plummet over the edge of the Niagara Falls every second.

The first electrical generators at Niagara opened in 1881, and the current station, known as the Robert Moses Niagara power plant, has had since its inception a gantry crane 18m wide and standing 21m high in the main turbine hall. Affectionately known by the staff as ‘Big Red’, the crane’s functions include lifting rotors and other major components for maintenance and repair. It is now, however, nearing the end of its useful life.

Its replacement was ordered in the summer of 2022 from REEL COH of Canada. It will have a capacity of 680 tons, which is some 50 tons greater than its predecessor. It will serve the 13 generating units that make up the plant.

The contract for fabrication, delivery and installation is part of a 15-year $1.1bn modernisation and digitisation programme with the title Next Generation Niagara and is worth around $38m.

“The Niagara Power Project’s overhead gantry crane is the workhorse that makes possible all the of the plant’s mechanical upgrades, especially those related to our effort to modernise and extend the life of New York’s flagship clean energy plant,” says NYPA interim president and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. Among its tasks will be assembling and disassembling the generating units. “Many of the efforts to digitise the project are already under way, but a new crane is essential,” he says. A new 15-ton monorail hoist and a 5.0-ton maintenance hoist are also part of the development programme. Construction of the gantry crane is expected be complete by 2026.

Gantry cranes are quite simply lifting devices on legs

European style hooks procurement parameters
Order time: 2022.6.10
Lifting capacity: 9 ton, 10 ton
Order content: 9 ton hook(Steel wire rope 10mm)+10 ton hook(Steel wire rope 19mm)
Exporting country: Philippines
This is an order for crane accessories sold to the Philippines in 2022. The customer purchased a 9-ton European type hook from our crane factory using 10mm steel wire rope, and a 10-ton European type hook using 19mm steel wire rope. The order was placed at the factory on June 13th and production was completed on June 28th. We shipped the product to the Philippines on June 29th. This is the third time that the customer has purchased crane products from our company. The atlas shows the packaging process of two European style hooks in the factory. If you want to purchase crane hooks or other crane accessories, please contact us.

Two European style hooks sold to the Philippines in 2022

Steel structures and crane accessories procurement parameters
Order time: 2022.6.15
Order content:
Name   Qty.      Unit L m   Unit W m   Unit H m
Spare box   1      0.85   0.85   0.37
Rail1   4      8   0.09   0.11
Rail2   2      1   0.09   0.11
Column   4      4.03   0.5   0.8
Runway beam1   3      8.59   0.29   0.5
Runway beam2   1      8.59   0.29   0.5
Column brace1   1      5.2   0.13   0.25
Column brace2   4      8.49   0.13   0.25
Column brace3   8      4.3   0.13   0.31
Exporting country: Honduras
This is an order for crane accessories sold to Honduras in 2022. The customer is our regular customer, and this is the fifth time that we have purchased crane equipment from our company. The order is mainly for steel structures, which are used to extend the old track. In addition, a set of accessory boxes has been purchased. The order was placed at the factory on June 17th, production was completed on June 28th, and product photos were sent to the customer for confirmation on July 19th. We shipped the product to Honduras on August 22nd. The customer is engaged in the production of automotive parts in Honduras. The atlas shows some details of this batch of steel structures in the factory. If you want to purchase steel structures and other crane accessories, you can contact us.

Steel structures and crane accessories sold to Honduras in 2022

I am impressed. I don't think Ive met anyone who knows as much about this subject as you do. You are truly well informed and very intelligent. You wrote something that people could understand and made the subject intriguing for everyone. Really, great blog you have got here.   fair trade fashion