2nd July 2009:
CEMEX UK, building materials provider, has invested in
the first Sennebogen Green Line 870R HD crane, in the
UK. Supplied by UK dealer Hassell of Stoke on Trent the
new £500,000 crane, powered by electricity as opposed to
diesel, is in operation at CEMEX’s Battersea wharf
adjacent to the River Thames in London.
Painted in its resplendent CEMEX livery the crane offers
several environmental benefits being exceptionally
economical to run, providing no direct emissions and is
extremely quiet compared to a mechanical diesel engine.
Weighing in at 87 tonnes this new generation Green Line
machine features a robust, very service friendly design
with high handling performance and incorporates a
state-of-the-art load sensing hydraulic system. The new
crane, as well as being the first of this model in the
UK, is the first to be used in an inland water
operation, the other four Sennebogen machines have been
placed in UK ports. All have the capability to handle
450 tonnes of aggregates an hour.
CEMEX is transporting 4 or 5 barge loads of sand and
stone every week from its Northfleet plant which
processes marine aggregates and is located near the
Thames estuary. The barges have a capacity of 750
tonnes and have to be unloaded within a 2 hour ‘window’
with the rising or falling tide of the Thames. The
discharged aggregates are used at the adjacent modern
ready mixed concrete plant providing materials for local
construction projects in the city.
“Sustainability is an integral part of our business.
This supply chain using barges, as opposed to trucks on
busy London roads, is one of many examples of how we are
reducing the impact of our materials within the
construction world” comments Andy Spencer, CEMEX
Sustainability Director.
The crane was manufactured in Straubing, Bavaria with
the final part of its delivery journey from Erith to
Battersea on a 53 metre barge up the Thames. The timing
of the loading at Erith and off-loading at Battersea
required exact planning to catch the point of the tide
changing course during the Spring High tides.
