A submerged, 98 tonne tunnel boring machine was lifted from the waters of Botany Bay with the help of a large, modular spreader beam supplied by Kennards Lift & Shift .
The seven sections of the tunnel boring machine had to be lifted separately to avoid any load being placed on the joins, which would have otherwise damaged seals and allowed water to penetrate.
The modular spreader beam used for the operation is the largest manufactured in Australia and can vary in length up to 20 metres. The maximum load capacity of the modular spreader beam is 145 tonnes at 13.5m, while at 20 metres it can lift up to 76 tonnes.
6m, 2m and 1m pieces plus end sections of the modular spreader beam were used for the operation, making a total of about 10 metres.
The tunnel borer was 17 metres long, 2.4 metres in diameter and the weight of the seven sections ranged from 4.9 tonnes to 27 tonnes.
