diamond recovery vessel Safe Lifting Europe: confidence in lifting

Safe Lifting Europe

CONFIDENCE IN LIFTING AND RIGGING

Safe Lifting’s rental portfolio contains a huge range of lifting, testing, site operations, marine operations, ROV, and hydraulic equipment.

WHEN IT COMES TO LIFTING ANYTHING, SAFE LIFTING EUROPE CAN HANDLE IT. THE COMPANY WORKS WITH THE LIFTING INDUSTRY’S TOP MANUFACTURERS TO DELIVER LIFTING AND RIGGING SOLUTIONS UP TO ANY CAPACITY, FOR SHORT OR LONG-TERM RENTAL. SALES ENGINEER GIOVANI VROEGOP GIVES AN INSIGHT INTO THE COMPANY’S SUCCESS.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAFE LIFTING EUROPE.

Safe Lifting Europe has grown steadily during its first decade of business. This growth has not only been in terms of completed projects but also, perhaps more notably, in terms of a wider variety of sectors served. Furthermore, the company’s expansion has gone hand-in-hand with the broadening of its product and service portfolio. Based in Vlaardingen, in the heart of the Port of Rotterdam, Safe Lifting Europe first started with a focus on the offshore oil & gas industry: renting out lifting and rigging equipment. However, it became apparent very quickly that the company’s services were also highly suitable for sectors outside the oil & gas realm.

Extensive portfolio “We have expanded well beyond the offshore oil & gas industry,” comments Mr Vroegop. “Today, we have clients from sectors as diverse as onshore construction and engineering, and inland shipping. We work with both shipyards and suppliers for shipbuilding. Shipyards often come to us for heavier lifting and hoisting materials, while the suppliers tend to hire more specialised items such as hydraulic torque sets, water bags, and test weights.” Safe Lifting’s rental portfolio contains a huge range of lifting, testing, site operations, marine operations, ROV, and hydraulic equipment. “A key point of our range of equipment is variety. We have everything from water bags and round slings to hoists and hydraulic ROV release shackles”, lists Mr Vroegop. This translates directly into a diversity of projects. For crane testing operations, for instance, Safe Lifting has the scope to handle a small davit crane test just as well as the biggest offshore cranes. “Material baskets, man baskets, and pallet hooks are also popular items for the maritime sector. Shipbuilders also regularly hire various hydraulic tools, as well as our load test items.”

Equipment management According to Mr Vroegop, there are clear benefits to renting the equipment. “With rentals, you pay only for the rental period. When you buy the equipment, there is the initial purchase price and in addition, equipment owners must budget for maintenance, periodic re-certification, storage, repairs, and more”, he explains. “By hiring the equipment from us, customers can be sure that the materials are in perfect working condition and that the certification is up to date. Our core business is actually equipment management. Our certified and implemented ISO 9001 system helps us to streamline this. We heavily focus on maintenance and we keep our rental fleet in top condition. This way, our customers can trust that they receive wellmaintained equipment to help them finish the project safely and securely.” But it is not just materials that can be rented from Safe Lifting. The company also has a team of specialist personnel. “We have the in-house skills to carry out the engineering and ballast plans for heavier lifts, and to carry out the actual lift itself”, explains Mr Vroegop. “We will bring the lifting equipment, as well as on-site equipment such as water pumps or light towers for when we work at night. In terms of products, we have everything from A to Z, but having our own specialist personnel means that we are a real one-stop-shop.”

Close cooperation For the non-standard type of project, Safe Lifting provides clients with tailor-made solutions. At the ‘heavy’ end of the scale, this can call for the deployment of grommets up to 1,700t, shackles up to 2,000t, and spreader beams with a capacity of up to 3,000t. The company also works closely with its equipment manufacturers and suppliers to develop specialist equipment. A recent example is the company’s cooperation with Modulift, with whom they engineered a 3,000t modular spreader beam. “We want to be as involved as possible,” states Mr Vroegop. “For this spreader beam, we gave Modulift the specifications of what we needed. Being involved like this and giving the feedback of what our customers need enables us to have great confidence in the products that we have on offer.” He concludes, “In a complex lift with multiple components, it is imperative to know exactly how each element is going to behave. It is because we know the ins and outs of all our products that we can call ourselves Safe Lifting.”

i. safelifting.eu

For the non-standard type of project, Safe Lifting provides clients with tailor-made solutions.