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Whoops.....crane barge in Holland goes a bit wrong....


frangar

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Compare & contrast Daniel's topic 78114. (1962 film)

I assume the Dutch H&S systems are similar to UK ? Accidents like this are still happening with scary regularity. There is something to be said for blokes in flat hats using jacks and winches to position heavy loads.

I do hope no-one was seriously injured or worse and it was just "expensive"

Bill

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From the BBC link:

 

"Amateur video showed one crane trying to hoist a section of the Juliana Bridge and collapsing under the weight, bringing the second crane down with it."

 

 

That's not how it looked to me.

 

My perception is that the far crane began to rotate anticlockwise when it shouldn't have, and no-one seemed able to stop it. Least of all the crane driver, even though it was obvious from the video that it was dragging the load out of position and a serious accident was about to happen.

 

My analysis is either a technical malfunction of the control system on the far crane, or possibly the driver was taken ill and lost control of the far crane.

 

My best wishes to all those involved, although I fear the worst.

  • Greenie 1
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mobile cranes and barges do not mix.

 

if it had been a proper 'crane barge' the accident would never have happened for 2 reasons:

- the crane/s are restrained in a fixed ring crane secured to a barge.

- the management of a barge would be well versed in its capabilities and would have planned accordingly.

 

I suggest that there was no adequate lifting plan.

Edited by Murflynn
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From the BBC link:

 

"Amateur video showed one crane trying to hoist a section of the Juliana Bridge and collapsing under the weight, bringing the second crane down with it."

 

 

That's not how it looked to me.

 

My perception is that the far crane began to rotate anticlockwise when it shouldn't have, and no-one seemed able to stop it. Least of all the crane driver, even though it was obvious from the video that it was dragging the load out of position and a serious accident was about to happen.

 

My analysis is either a technical malfunction of the control system on the far crane, or possibly the driver was taken ill and lost control of the far crane.

 

My best wishes to all those involved, although I fear the worst.

 

I agree, that's exactly how it looked to me. The accident appeared to be initiated by some sort of malfunction followed by a structural failure on the crane farthest from the camera.

Edited by Tony Dunkley
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reminds me of a similar (land-based) accident I witnessed in 1971:

 

2 mobile cranes were lifting the machinery deck of a huge Manitowoc tracked crane off a low bed trailer.

I expected the cranes to lift and the truck to drive away, allowing the cranes to lower off.

the truck didn't move, and the 2 mobiles both slewed to move the load beyond the back of the trailer.

both the mobiles were then working beyond the planned radius and they both began to fall over and the machinery deck crashed into the ground.

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The Dutch blog link live updates going from most recent first says:

 

Two construction cranes and a bridge portion at the Juliana Bridge in Alphen aan den Rijn have fallen on houses where people live. The devastation is enormous. Searching for victims.
Man removed alive under rubble
22:50: Reporter Jaap van Deurzen is on the site of the accident. According to him, the search team with dogs just stopped searching, but the fire is still on.
"Around 21:00 pm it was still exciting, because one of the dogs hit on, but not others. This is why that piece of debris searched at all, but there is apparently found nothing."
22:10 pm: According to the Prosecution at this time three people identified as a suspect. "They came this afternoon made to the police to tell their story. We've considered a suspect, because they have a certain status. They do not obliged to respond and they have a right to a lawyer."
22:05 pm: At a press conference mayor says Spies "is still being sought with might and main to any injured people and victims That is what we know so far nothing, the situation is not yet stable, there is still danger of collapse in places..."
According to the mayor is currently up to house number clearly who can go home. Residents on Main Street and Bloemenstraat can not go home yet. Residents of the remainder of the houses well. For residents who can not visit family there is an emergency shelter decorated.
The prosecution started an investigation into the accident, along with the Inspectorate SZW. "There may be a breach of health and safety legislation," said Kitty Nooy of the OM. "It's too early to know what the cause is, but it is possible there is physical injury."
21:52 pm: The residents of about 50 homes can not go home the next night. So says the Safety. The municipality arranges care.
21:32 pm: About 400 people have been to The Good Herderkerk come in Alphen aan den Rijn. In that church is a temporary reception center designed for victims of the accident with the Juliana Bridge. The church is also Victim present. The municipality believes that many people come to church for a chat and an arm around the shoulder. "Some of the people in the church has become temporarily homeless by the accident.
21:02 pm: The employees of the construction company whose fallen cranes, are so far known unharmed.
20:49 pm: Sniffer dogs have a large part of the affected houses and shops ransacked in Alphen aan den Rijn, but no survivors were found. That does not mean that no one is under the rubble: the dogs strike only if they find living people.
20:24 pm: Emergency services have taken one man alive from the rubble. The man has problems with his hip, how it goes with him, is unknown. The dog that got stuck, did not survive.
20:07 pm: A spokesman for construction company Mourik, which is responsible for the construction of the Juliana Bridge in Alphen aan den Rijn, speaks of a black day. "We are very upset."
19:55 pm: The Red Cross near the site of the crane accident in Alphen aan den Rijn set up a tent for the initial reception of victims. It is not yet known whether there all victims have been brought.
19:50 pm: According to an expert in the field of heavy transport was the construction company was working at the Juliana Bridge in Alphen aan den Rijn 'amateurish' to work. "What went wrong is that the taps were running too fast, causing the pontoon was tilting. At that time they had to stop immediately."
19:22 pm: From the press conference: "Two pontoons in the tackles a bridge part capsized on a number of properties These are the facts, the victims are paramount The collapse and also examine the stability of the cranes we go shortly after this.... Currently searching for victims in the homes. We know at this time how many and whether there are casualties. "
Mayor Liesbeth Spies breaks her vacation and comes back tonight to Alphen aan den Rijn.
19:11 pm: One of the deputy mayors of Alphen aan den Rijn goes to where the afternoon two cranes and a bridge section crashed. The mayor and aldermen say they are "deeply shocked".
19:09 pm: A security camera is the destruction of the bar David's Palace recorded in Alphen. It shows how an employee jumps away just in time. Check out the pictures.
18:54 pm: Mourik construction company responsible for the construction of the Juliana Bridge in Alphen aan den Rijn is "very shocked." A spokesman for the family business called a black day. "We are very upset. ''
"Our attention is now turned towards the potential victims, which we have no data yet. We do not know what happened, the investigation is in the hands of the Labour Inspectorate and the Safety Board."
18:45 pm: The LUMC has scaled the disaster relief plan.
18:41 pm To 19:15 pm a press conference on the crane accident in Alphen. The press conference can be followed via rtlnieuws.nl
18:40 pm: The cranes are temporarily propped up by the fire brigade.
18:06 pm: The disaster relief plan of the Leiden University Medical Center has been activated. A spokeswoman for the hospital said that five teams consisting of an anesthesiologist, a surgeon and a nurse ready. Just after 18:00 pm there were no casualties yet supplied from Alphen.

17:55 pm: According to local broadcaster Studio Alphen is still definitely one person alive in the rubble. The fire would have contact with the victim.

17:53 pm: The Red Cross set following the crane accident, "I'm Safe". Parties may indicate here that they are safe.

17:45 pm: There is an unstable situation. There can not be sought in the two houses where the taps on his cases. It reports the fire department. There would certainly injured 7 to 20 are possible.

 

 

 

I'm not sure if something is getting lost in translation when they mention suspect, prosecution etc; This implies some kind of criminal culpability if the translation is accurate.

**Edit: No I am right, "Openbaar Ministerie" is the public prosecution service, and "verdachte" is "suspect, accused, indictee or prisoner at the bar."

 

Not an accident?

 

No dead announced yet, but the sniffer dogs/rubble info and the pics make it seem highly likely there are some.

Edited by Starcoaster
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Fire department tweet (translated):

The search in Alpen has ended. There are no more clues that there are still people under the rubble.

 

Don't know if this means they think everyone is accounted for, or that they think anyone left buried is dead.

 

Edited to add some footage of the aftermath on the ground via Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=19&v=33CbpbMo8xs

 

One opinion so far:

According to an expert in the field of heavy transport was the construction company was working at the Juliana Bridge in Alphen aan den Rijn 'amateurish' to work. "Cranes are made to stand on land on solid ground. They stood on a pontoon, which is already a risk."

"It is amateurish, as I am very cautious," said Richard Krabbendam, a specialist in the field of heavy transport. "Two cranes on a pontoon: it is possible, but you should know what you're doing."

Krabbendam has analyzed the images prior to the accident . "It happens too quickly," he notes. "What went wrong is that the taps were running too fast, causing the pontoon was tilting. At that time they had to stop immediately. But because they did not and turned it, the cranes fell over."

The specialist says he never has an accident of such magnitude seen. "It's sad what happened. I hope there are no deaths.

RTL News

 

Edited by Starcoaster
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looks like the deck was sloping slightly and the crane slid towards the side.

 

Thats my take on it. It may just be the camera angle, but it looks to me as if the cranes were closer to the right hand side of the barges, which were already tilted slightly down on that side. As the load moved across the far barge tilted further to the right, which then moved the top of the crane jib further to the right, thereby increasing the out-of-balance effect, and the rest was inevitable. That lift would probably have been fine if the cranes had been on terra firma, but not with them on relatively narrow barges.

 

Someone is going to have to answer a lot of questions about how that lift was planned.

 

But what I don't really understand is why the lift was taking place there. They were lifting the bridge deck from the barge on the left, but where were they going to put it? The bridge where it is to end up is some way behind. Why not tow the transport barge up to the bridge and lift it into place using cranes on the road?

The Dutch blog link live updates going from most recent first says:

 

 

I'm not sure if something is getting lost in translation when they mention suspect, prosecution etc; This implies some kind of criminal culpability if the translation is accurate.

**Edit: No I am right, "Openbaar Ministerie" is the public prosecution service, and "verdachte" is "suspect, accused, indictee or prisoner at the bar."

 

Not an accident?

 

No dead announced yet, but the sniffer dogs/rubble info and the pics make it seem highly likely there are some.

 

Yes, an accident. But no doubt the Dutch authorities will be considering the possibility of criminal prosecutions of those responsible for the planning and management of this operation. If the accident occurred here HSE would be doing exactly the same.

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I maintain the uncontrolled continuing rotation of the far crane was the cause of the disaster. It was obvious the far crane was out of control and rotating inappropriately fast, early in the video. So we must surmise the people on site saw this too and were unable to stop the rotation of the far crane.

 

Therefore the must have been a computer failure that could not be manually countermanded, or a serious health problem for the driver of the far crane.

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I maintain the uncontrolled continuing rotation of the far crane was the cause of the disaster. It was obvious the far crane was out of control and rotating inappropriately fast, early in the video. So we must surmise the people on site saw this too and were unable to stop the rotation of the far crane.

 

Therefore the must have been a computer failure that could not be manually countermanded, or a serious health problem for the driver of the far crane.

 

That may be part of the issue. But the whole thing just looks too unstable to me. With the load being hung from so high up in relation to the width of the barges, the risk of instability looks to me to be just unacceptable.

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That may be part of the issue. But the whole thing just looks too unstable to me. With the load being hung from so high up in relation to the width of the barges, the risk of instability looks to me to be just unacceptable.

 

 

Yes I agree, the whole thing looked unstable, but had the far crane not rotated the lift would probably have succeeded.

 

If the rotation was planned, I hold that both cranes would have rotated synchronously. One rotated, the other didn't. Hence the disaster. The fact that they were on a floating barge just added to the speed with which the cranes toppled. They'd have toppled on dry land too., IMO.

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For 'taps' read cranes (kraan is dutch for crane, as wel as tap). The crane was turning to fast, and the balance was upset. It tilted the pontoon, and from there the result was inevitable.

 

And how is that ship ugly? Maybe not your taste, but not ugly....

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mobile cranes and barges do not mix.

 

if it had been a proper 'crane barge' the accident would never have happened for 2 reasons:

- the crane/s are restrained in a fixed ring crane secured to a barge.

- the management of a barge would be well versed in its capabilities and would have planned accordingly.

 

I suggest that there was no adequate lifting plan.

 

I'm not going to claim to be an expert or even attempt to say what went wrong but I cannot understand why the platform was floating, surely it is normal to use jack up barges.

 

Tim

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