A delicate lifting operation

Modulift beams played a key role in lifting a 45 T boat into water for the first time at a harbour in Hafnarfjörður on the southwest coast of Iceland, about 10km south of Reykjavík.

Icelandic crane rental company DS Lausnir chose a 250 T capacity Grove GMK 5250 mobile crane to lift the 5.5 m wide and 12 m long vessel from the dockside into the sea, upon completion of the manufacturing process.

Daníel Sigurðarson, owner of DS Lausnir, says: "It was an easy choice as there is no other approved beam in Iceland that can handle a heavy lift like this. We do own a selection of [Modulift] beams but they are only for internal use, so we sourced the beams for this job directly."

Sigurðarson says the engine of the boat, situated at its rear, created a slightly offset centre of gravity that had to be factored into the lift plans. Boat manufacturer Trefjar provided detailed specifications in advance of the lift so the appropriate lifting and rigger gear could be organised well before the day of the lift.

In addition to its mobile fleet, DS Lausnir also boasts several truck-mounted cranes.