New coastal highway to use worlds largest offshore overhead gantry crane

Menomonee Falls, Wis. — Enerpac has been awarded a contract to build the world’s largest, offshore overhead gantry crane for French consortium Bouygues Travaux Publics, VINCI Construction and Demathieu Bard Construction. The crane — with a lifting capacity of 4,800 tonne — will be used to install the precast viaduct columns for a new coastal highway around Reunion Island, located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

The 5,400m coastal highway (Route du Littoral) will connect Saint Denis — the administrative capital of La Réunion — with La Possession. It replaces the existing coastal road, which is exposed to falling rocks and flooding from swells and tropical storms.

The Bouygues Travaux Publics, VINCI Construction and Demathieu Bard Construction consortium is building a barge to construct the offshore highway. Enerpac is supplying an offshore crane with 4,800 tonne lifting capacity for the barge. The barge will be used to pick up concrete precast foundation elements (gravity base, pile head and segments) at the harbor of Reunion Island, and position them on the seabed. The Enerpac offshore crane will be used to make at least 200 foundation block lifts.

Enerpac was approached by the consortium based on its reputation as a provider of tailor made solutions for repetitive heavy lifting operations.

Global director Enerpac Integrated Solutions, Jeroen Naalden, commented, "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Bouygues Travaux Publics, VINCI Construction and Demathieu Bard Construction on this important infrastructure project. With a history of being involved in the Kursk salvage offshore, the Millau Viaduct construction and other significant heavy lifting operations, we have a growing reputation for excellence in bespoke heavy lift systems."

Construction of the 4,800-tonne offshore crane has already started at Enerpac Integrated Solutions manufacturing facility in Hengelo, The Netherlands.