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In the world of heavy lifting and logistical challenges, every minute counts. Recognizing that downtime equates to lost revenue and potential setbacks, Deep South Crane & Rigging (Deep South) emphasizes robust planning and tailor-made solutions to ensure seamless project execution.
Equipment and engineering excellence
Unlocking success with turnaround and shutdown solutions
Deep South places great emphasis on close collaboration with its clients, making it a central part of its methodology. Through extensive consultations, its team of professionals works on every aspect of the project, crafting solutions that align with the client's needs. If a feasibility and constructability assessment is needed, the process starts early to develop initial schedules and cost estimates. The company selects optimal transportation methods and addresses logistical challenges head-on during site planning and execution, from navigating clearances to securing permits. Safety is also a top priority in every project undertaken, and the team develops job-specific safety plans that ensure compliance with all regulations to foster a culture of safety excellence throughout the project lifecycle.
Deep South offers a comprehensive fleet of equipment to staff projects of any size. The VersaCrane™ fleet includes cranes up to 3,000 tons, with an impressive ability to fit in confined areas with low ground bearing pressures. Its fleet continues with crawler cranes from 200–1,760 tons, all-terrain cranes from 50–1,320 tons, rough terrain cranes from 30–160 tons and carry decks up to 25 tons. The company has hundreds of specialty transporters, bridging and barging solutions, custom roll-on/roll-off (RORO) facilities, cantilever beam systems, heavy rigging, jack & slide systems, gantries, steel mats and other custom tools.
When conventional solutions fall short, Deep South rises to the occasion with an engineered approach. Its capacity to design and fabricate is made possible in part by the in-house design and manufacturing of its own heavy-lift crane line, VersaCrane™. The team consists of certified professional engineers and skilled craftsmen who collaborate to design, fabricate and test innovative solutions tailored to project requirements. With fabrication facilities spanning nearly 100,000 square feet, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and 24-hour crews available, Deep South has the capability to tackle projects of any scale and complexity.
Case study: Turnaround efficiency
A major process unit turnaround (TAR) project for a petrochemical plant in the Southwest required meticulous planning, over 1,200 craftworkers at peak and a comprehensive fleet of cranes, trucks and customized skid (otherwise known as jack & slide) systems.
To prepare for the project, Deep South custom-engineered lift plans for replacing the plant’s propylene compressor with a newer, more efficient 127-ton compressor, a 45-ton turbine and a 142-ton exchanger. Once the lift plans were finalized and approved, Deep South mobilized the TAR with ten crawlers and hydraulic truck cranes. Crews used Jack & Slide techniques to remove and replace several pieces of equipment.
The first was a 12’ diameter, 100-ton condenser that had to be removed and replaced in a very limited space. To facilitate the move, the Deep South team engineered and fabricated custom shelf lugs for use when raising the condenser. The second Jack & Slide operation involved moving a 42’-long, 90-ton exchanger from underneath a structure.
The new 127-ton compressor was lifted into place with a 660-ton Terex-Demag CC-2800-1 crane. A 275-ton Demag CC-1400 crane was used to lift the turbine. Another major lift was the 142-ton exchanger, which required a tandem lift using an 800-ton Demag AC-700 and a 500-ton Liebherr LTM 1400-7.1 in a very congested area.
In addition, the Deep South team was tasked with transporting old (compressor, turbine and exchanger) and new equipment across a state highway to and from the client’s lay-down yard with 12-line SPMTs.
Deep South completed the entire TAR project incident-free and without any injuries.
Case study: Customized solutions place refinery column with ease
Unlocking success with turnaround and shutdown solutions
The Deep South team was entrusted with the task of receiving, transporting and setting up a 790,025-pound debutanizer, a specialized distillation column measuring 174’-3” long with a 21’-3” diameter.
The debutanizer was received at the Port of New Orleans from an ocean-going vessel. After clearing customs, it was loaded onto a barge and pushed to a roll-off site 8 hours upriver, where it was prepared for transport to the refinery.
To transport the column to the refinery, it was loaded onto a double-wide 18-axle-line Scheuerle SPMT for the initial 2.25-mile haul. Along the way, the crew built a temporary bridge to cross a railroad track, accommodating the length and weight of the debutanizer.
Next, the debutanizer was lifted with an 800-ton gantry onto cribbing, ready for the one-mile move to the lift location.
To facilitate the transport, Deep South collaborated with the vessel manufacturer to customize the debutanizer’s shipping saddles for the 52-ton Scheuerle SPMT-SL (Split) Trailers. This adjustment helped shrink the overall transport envelope of the debutanizer, lower the load and accommodate a problematic route in tight conditions.
One of the biggest challenges was that the debutanizer load had to cross under multiple pipe racks with very little clearance of less than 1”. The debutanizer was designed specifically to fit under the pipe racks with minimal clearance and the shipping saddles with the split trailer configuration were ideal for this situation. An 1,800-ton VersaCrane™ TC-28000 in configuration 4/8, equipped with a 303’ main boom and a double-wide 12-axle-line Scheuerle SPMT with tailing frame, was used to lift the debutanizer onto its foundation. Once vertical, the debutanizer was set on its foundation using the VersaCrane™ TC-28000.
All work was completed safely and on schedule.
When partnering with Deep South, it’s not just getting a service provider — it’s gaining a trusted ally committed to success.
For more information, visit deepsouthcrane.com.
