Vanguard Assists In Tanzanian
Brewery Upgrade

Vanguard recently completed a project for Tanzania Breweries Limited, part of SAB Miller, a long standing client. The project, part of an upgrade, saw Vanguard transporting and installing eight 8 ton tanks for the brewery.
 
The tanks, used for storage of finished product, measure 21 metres long and 5,2 metres in diameter and are capable of holding 260,000 litres of liquid each. Vanguard utilised its multi axle trailer in a 10 axle configuration to transport the tanks from Johannesburg, where they were fabricated, to Richards Bay harbour.
 
According to Vanguard Rigging and Installation Manager, Wynand Boshoff, the tanks were loaded onto a ship and transported to the port of Dar es Salaam. “We took custody of the tanks once they arrived at the brewery,” says Boshoff.
 
“The installation of the tanks was a challenging task and we had to consider a number of things to ensure success. The main issue was the lack of space surrounding the stands on which the tanks needed to be positioned on. For this reason traditional cranes were not considered. We developed a new solution for the lift by designing and supplying a portal crane which spanned the foundation and had a hook height of 25 metres. This is a unique piece of equipment.”
 
The eight tanks needed to be installed on an existing base in two rows of four with only 50mm clearance on either side, as well as a building on one side and another set of tanks on the other side hindering access. The base was elevated and features holes to facilitate the tapered bases of the tanks.
 
“This new portal crane system was designed and constructed in Johannesburg, packed into containers and shipped to Tanzania,” says Boshoff.
 
Once on site, the system took two weeks to assemble and was comprised of two sections, built on top of one another and then craned onto rails on top of the platform.
 
“Having set up the system, the tanks were then brought onto the site one at a time on low bed trucks, lying on their sides. A small mobile crane was used to stabilise the bottom end of the tank while the top was attached via a hook to the portal crane system. We call this process top and tailing.”
 
The tank was then lifted incrementally to move it into a vertical position. Once vertical the system slid on the rails to position the tank above its respective base.
 
Boshoff notes that in addition to the space limitations that restricted movement, it was also a challenge to complete the portal crane assembly in such a small area. “Moreover, we had to deal with some heavy winds, but overall we relied on our experience and skilled staff and project engineers from our Johannesburg and Mombasa offices, and the job was completed successfully.”