Vastwin Logistics a company that provides logistics solutions for vertical and horizontal moving and multi-model transportation of heavy lifts needed to erect a temporary unloading dock for the unloading of a cargo ship along the Yangtze River at Jiujiang in Jiangxi Provinces. As there was no suitable dock in the vicinity Vastwin decided to build a temporary unloading platform anchored by four large casings. The dock had to carry the weight of a crawler crane trucks and the cargo. The Yangtze river bank is sloped so the unloading dock needed to correct for the angle of the shore to ensure that the pier would be level.

The client deployed a steel platform that would weather well in the marshy river banks and could handle water level changes. The platform was anchored in 4 corners with 1 meter diameter 18m long casings. As a logistics and lifting company Vastwin sought out ICE’s advice on a suitable driving method for the piles. Taking the dimensions of the pile and the soil conditions (silty sand and clay layers) into consideration the ICE team recommended an 815C hydraulic vibratory hammer for this job.

ICE sent a trained hammer operator from our rental fleet support team along with the hammer to ensure the foundation was driven as quickly and efficiently as possible. The lifting positioning and driving of the 4 corner piles was finished within 2 hours.

The ICE 815C has a very good eccentric force/ weight ratio that allows it to perform above its size class. The 8t weight of the hammer allowed the crane boom to have sufficient working reach so as not to have to reposition itself during lifting and driving. Another ICE feature that enhanced the safety when working on water was the indication lights on the power pack that show the crane operator the clamps have gripped the casing successfully and indicating that the hammer can start driving. The experience left this first time user very pleased and fully confident that when the time comes to dismantle the pier the 815C will once again prove itself by extracting the casings with verve.