PEMBROKE Refinery is preparing for the construction of the biggest crane ever seen on site. This colossal piece of engineering, nicknamed as Little Celeste, is currently being constructed and will dominate the Haven skyline for many weeks to come. Over 9,000 tonnes of earth have already been removed and 18,000 tonnes of hardcore brought in to provide firm foundations for the remarkable all-electric SGC-90 ‘Little Celeste’ used by heavy lift specialists Sarens. It will be used to lift the replacement Depropaniser and Settler units that many people have recently seen travelling down the Haven waterway. With a ring diameter of 35 metres, a maximum counterweight of 2,700 tonnes, and a load moment of 99,000 tonnes, it can be configured in a variety of ways; with main boom lengths of 100, 120, and 130 metres and a small jib of 200 tonnes.
As the SGC-90 is ready for its first job, Sotiris Kanaris talked to Sarens’s director of Technical Solutions, Project & Engineering Carl Sarens and R&D engineer Tom Derveaux about the process of developing the new ring crane.
The Sarens Giant Crane (SGC) series was launched in 2011, when the 120,000tm SGC-120 was introduced. Over the past four years, the company has invested heavily in the series, which now comprises four models.
In 2017, Sarens presented the 140,000tm SGC-140, which since its launch has been working at the Tengizchevroil (TCO) project in Kazakhstan. Two years later, the heavy lift specialist introduced an even bigger model, the 250,000tm SGC-250. This model, also known as Big Carl, has been working in the UK for the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.