Testing and rigging services provider Anchor Testing & Rigging Services has successfully completed a 440 t testing project in Cape Town harbour using stud link chain.

The project, coordinated for SBM Offshore, suppliers to the offshore oil and gas industry, was carried out on board the Normand Installer, where 3 660 m of chain was used as weight to test the stern gantry’s required proof load capacity of 440 t.

The project involved a chain which was bundled and laced together using steel wire rope and shackles to create the required weight, which was precalculated by Anchor Testing & Rigging Service’s parent company, Anchor Industries, and verified by the mobile crane’s rated capacity indicator as it was laid out on the platform.

A platform was built to hold the chain, which was suspended from a 500T load cell shackle. The shackle’s reading was verified against the ship’s load cell, which is integrated into the gantry to measure the weight of the chain when lifted.

“The greatest challenge experienced while completing this project was to coor- dinate the test within the [allotted] time and to build a platform to fit precisely into the gantry, as well as on the exact position on the quayside, as the vessel was not available to measure the space. This platform was successfully erected based on estimations and fitted precisely into posi- tion,” says Anchor Testing & Rigging Services MD Johan Kruger.

The company, which is based in Cape Town, is supported with infrastructure and equipment from its parent company, which enables it to increase its capacity to complete larger projects in shorter timeframes.

The company is able to undertake projects locally and internationally.

To subscribe to Engineering News's print magazine email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or buy now.