Alatas were requested to carry out an inspection and checks of 4 Tsuji cranes on a vessel in Gibraltar. Alatas crane engineers drew up a spare parts list to ensure all cranes would be fully operational. Crane #1 had been experiencing problems with the boom dropping as was uncontrollable by the crane operator. After investigation it was found the the brake linings were severely damaged which created the luffing problems. High pressure was created by an electric motor problem which caused excessive heating, over time this would have led to the brake linings becoming damaged and deformed, resulting in boom free fall. Further investigations in the high pressure revealed that directional control valve was at fault. The hydraulic luffing motor and luffing brake will have been under constant high pressure and these items should be renewed as soon as possible. Boom damage was also noted, which should be repaired at the next available opportunity.
