Case study · waterway maintenance
Lock gates
from one position.
Twin cranes aboard Jumbo allowed both ends of a drained lock to be served without refloating and repositioning the barge between lifts.
The project
A crane barge designed
around the stoppage.
Lock gate replacement becomes particularly difficult where road access is poor. New gates, redundant gates, equipment and materials all have to reach a structure that is itself the point at which the navigation is closed and drained.
WHH first developed heavy lifting capability aboard the crane barge Dudley. The later twin-crane configuration aboard the 70ft barge Jumbo addressed a further programme constraint: reaching both the upper and lower gate positions from one location in the lock.
Jumbo could be floated into position, the lock drained around it and the barge grounded as a stable lifting platform for the stoppage.
The constraint
Serve both ends
of a drained lock.
The method had to address the full working environment:
- Poor or absent road access
- Large, awkward gate leaves
- A controlled lifting base within the lock chamber
- Materials and removed gates needing onward transport
The WHH response
A method built
around the site.
Vessels, plant and movements were combined around the project sequence rather than treated as separate hire items.
Twin-crane configuration
Two HIAB cranes were positioned to reach the upper and lower gate locations from the same barge position.
Grounded lifting platform
The lock was drained with Jumbo in place, allowing lifting work from a stable barge rather than a freely floating platform.
Materials close to hand
The barge carried replacement gates, equipment and other materials directly into the stoppage.
Waste and return logistics
Removed gates and equipment could leave the lock by water for transfer at a suitable wharf.
The result
Less repositioning.
One complete platform.
The twin-crane arrangement allowed both gate sets to be served from one drained-down position, avoiding a flood, reposition and second drain-down solely to move the lifting platform.
The same barge also supported the wider logistics of the stoppage—bringing materials in, handling them at the lockside and carrying removed items away.
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