Sarens’ client, Besix-Orascom Joint Venture (BOJV), is responsible for building the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo and as part of the project had to install two ancient solar boats in the new museum section.
The solar boat had to be lifted from the old Khufu Boat Museum, transported 10km to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, and installed in the new building. The solar boat was both archaeologically significant as well as fragile. BOJV asked Sarens, the globally recognised specialised transport experts, to work on the prestigious project.
The team had to address some challenges in the planning phase:
- The boat had to be precisely positioned horizontally during the entire operation owing to its fragile structure.
- The boat had to be transported through the pyramids with slopes up to 3° along the way.
In close coordination with their client, a ramp was built along the route.
Sarens decided to deploy:
- 12 axle-lines SPMT K24
- 12 axle-lines SPMT K25
- 800t Demag CC4800 SSL/LSL 90m with 300T superlift
SPMTs and steel structures were transported from Belgium by ship while the 800t crane was already available in Egypt.
The client built a steel cage around the 43m long and 20t boat for protection making the total weight 100 tonnes. Sarens built a 52m long and 5.6m high steel bridge to allow the SPMTs to drive in and park exactly underneath the boat.
The 12 axle-lines SPMT K24 lifted the boat from its support, drove it carefully outside through a narrow opening with only 20cm space on each side, and parked it on top of another 12 axle-lines SPMT K25 to ensure smooth movement of the load on slopes.
