Second crane crashes at Lyttelton

Press, 12 July 1985, Page 1

Second crane crashes at Lyttelton

By

JEFF HAMPTON

Seven Lyttelton waterfront workers scattered only fractions of a second before a 60-metre crane jib crashed across the deck of a container ship yesterday afternoon.

Miraculously, none of the men were hurt, but the accident has left the Lyttelton container terminal without a crane for the second time in six months. The failure of a crane part has been blamed for causing the jib to break free from the main body of the Skyhorse-style crane and crash across the deck of the vessel Australian Exporter soon after 4.30 p.m. The mangled jib could be seen last evening stretched horizontally from the wharf across the ship’s deck and into the sea. No estimate of the cost of damage could be obtained last evening.

One of the men on the deck at the time of the accident said that when the jib started to fall there was no time for words — everyone just fled. “We all ran. Fortunately there were some spaces (on the deck) to run to,” said Mr John Higginson, a supervisor at the Lyttelton container terminal. The accident happened at Cashin Quay No. 3, the wharf where the Harbour Board’s multi-million dollar crane was wrecked when it was knocked over by a berthing ship in February.

Parts of that crane are now being repaired in Dunedin. The Skyhorse crane landed only about one metre from some workers, said Mr Higginson. The men had been working in the cells on the deck of the ship. Luckily, the men were experienced and were watching the crane as it was moving at the time of the accident, he said. “I am not a mechanic, but something snapped on top or the brake gave way,” said Mr Higginson. Another man who was on the deck said he heard someone shout, “She’s going,” and ran for his life. The crane was moving to another bay on the wharf at the time the jib broke free. An inspecting engineer of the Marine Division has been called in to investigate the accident.

“It looks as though it was caused by a component on the crane, although I haven’t made any investigation,” said the Lyttelton Harbour Board’s senior assistant engineer, Mr Michael Stokes. Workers last evening secured the main body of the crane which, together

with its 30m back boom, stood intact on the wharf.

The crane driver, whose name was not available last evening, was not hurt in the accident.

According to waterside workers, he did not know what had caused the accident.

The driver was using a radio to keep in touch with the workers on the ship, who were guiding the crane’s spreader on to containers. The Harbour Board’s floating crane Rapaki was expected to be called in to support the part of the jib which had crashed into the sea. Damage to the Australian Exporter appeared to be confined to several partly crushed containers and twisted railing on the vessel. Harbour Board officials met last evening to try to work out how to keep the container terminal working. The damaged crane is an American Hoist 9310, owned by Fletcher Construction, Ltd. Mr Stokes said that the crane was fully insured. Ironically, the Skyhorse crane was one of three arranged by the Harbour Board to work at the terminal after the container crane was wrecked in Febu-' rary.

Fortunately for the Harbour Board, the main replacement crane, the Samba, has been erected at Cashin Quay and might be ready for work in about two weeks.

The Skyhorse crane replaced another temporary crane, the Demag, which left Lyttelton for Marsden Point about three weeks ago. It was going to be used until the Samba, which was shipped from Britain, was' usable. The Skyhorse has been transferring containers to

and from the 23,486-ton Australian Exporter since the vessel arrived at Lyttelton from Rotterdam on Monday. She had been due to sail for Wellington at 10 p.m. yesterday.