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EQUIPMENT Rental specialist Hawks Crane Hire supplied four Kobelco crawler used to remove spoil from the shafts. The smaller cranes, with their
HAWKS CRAWLER CRANES ON UK TUNNEL PROJECT
36.6 metre booms, were used by piling contractor Keltbray on the
tunnel boring machine launch chamber.
cranes for a road tunnel project in the UK. The lattice boom crawler
“Both CKE900G-3s worked as ‘tailing cranes’”, said Hawkins, “lifting
cranes are a pair of 250 tonne capacity CKE2500-G s and two 100
tonne CKE900G-3s. First of the four to be delivered was one of the
smaller models, in January 2021, while the final unit, the second
where the T-shaped rebar cages were spliced together to make
the 102 tonne, 32 metre long counterfort piles, which were filled
250 tonner, was delivered in June 2022. the tailing end of the tilt bed, with a maximum weight of 24-tonnes,
They are working on Transport for London’s £1 billion (US$1.18 billion) with more than 500 cubic metres of ‘low-carbon’ concrete once in
Silvertown Tunnel project. A new 1.4 km twin-bore road tunnel will position.” Environmental concerns also played a part in choosing
link Silvertown with the Greenwich Peninsula in east London. It is the Kobelco crawler cranes for the works, according to Hawkins,
the first tunnel under the river Thames in more than 30 years. Main with its KCross remote operation management system, which is
contractors are Bam Nuttall with sister company Wayss & Freytag designed to help maximise machine efficiency and uptime, key
Ingenieurbau, Ferrovial Agroman and SK E&C. Both CKE2500G-2s to the decision making.
were delivered with 48 metre booms, one with a 100 tonne hook “Our client was especially interested in gathering as much
block and the other a 70 tonne block. Capacity at a 15 metre information as possible on all four cranes’ diesel usage and
radius is 50.5 tonnes. Site restrictions meant there were operational emissions whilst they were on site, particularly as it was keen to
challenges to deal with, according to Elliot Hawkins, Hawks Crane reduce emissions as much as possible on site. It even ran a
Hire sales director, “The main boom for both machines had to stay competition between the contractors to see how much money it
under the overhead Emirates cable car, which runs across the site, could save while reducing fuel consumption.
and also had to be slew restricted due to the adjacent Docklands “More importantly,” added Hawkins, “the information was not
Light Railway (DLR) lines running parallel with the site, with Kobelco’s only useful during the project but will be used as part of its wider
slew restrictors coming in very handy during operations.” research into how emissions and fuel usage can be reduced on
Working around the three main shafts, both CKE2500G-2s were future projects.”

BOELS LAUNCHES ‘ECO’ LABEL JCB GENSETS POWER F1 GRAND PRIX
Boels Rental has launched an ‘Eco label’ to enable easy recognition
of key green product lines; the label is designed to help customers
minimise the environmental footprint of construction sites, events or
projects. It covers electric forklift trucks, battery powered vibratory
compactors, electric pallet trucks, portable battery packs, modular
ladders, cordless chain saws, electric cut off saws and electric
leaf blowers. The company confirmed that initial development of
the Eco label began in 2021, to separate zero emission and low
emission machines from the rest of the Boels fleet.
“When you see this label, you can be sure that you’re hiring battery-
powered, electric or hybrid machines that are environmentally
friendly and that contribute to emission-free work,” a statement on
the company’s website confirmed. UK-based temporary power and lighting specialist Progen Power has
“Machines and tools with an Eco label don’t produce any CO2 invested £750,000 (€885,000) in 60 new JCB generators.
emissions and no air pollutants or greenhouse gases are released Purchasing several models ranging from JCB’s 18-220kva compact
on your construction site. In their own way, they help in the fight product line through to its 500kva rental specification offering, many
against global warming and to protecting the environment. of the new units were recently used at the F1 British Grand Prix at
“Products that have the Eco label emit less CO2 and produce less Silverstone.
noise and vibration. They also meet the highest standards for safety Progen’s new gensets, which were solely responsible for powering
and user-friendliness.” the motor racing event’s circuit for a full three days, will be used by
Other benefits of the Eco range, included that they can be used customers from a variety of UK industries - including the construction,
for interior jobs because they don’t emit harmful gases. aviation, events sectors, as well as by emergency services providers
In addition, “Equipment with the Eco label generally requires less and domestic customers.
maintenance and saves you on energy costs, for instance because Commenting on the company’s purchase decision, Andy Fairbanks,
you don’t have to change the fluids and filters as often. Progen Power’s CEO, said, “We met with various manufacturers
“Eco labelled machines have a longer maintenance interval. You before deciding that JCB would offer us everything we needed
don’t have to check oil levels, fuel filters and cooling water, for thanks to the large range of units available and the well-known
example. These machines are also easier and faster to inspect.” quality aftercare service.”
In 2021 Boels committed to zero emissions goals. At the time of that While the temporary power specialist did not reveal the exact
announcement - March 2021 - the company said 80% of its fleet models included in its equipment order, it is thought that JCB’s
was already emission free but that over time, it planned to offer G18RS, G41QS and the G116QS models make up some of the
zero-emission alternatives for the majority of its machines. units.

46 CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES|SEPTEMBER 2022