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Sparrows crane ‘flies’ to beat deadline

Moving manpower and material around the world to meet urgent client needs is a daily routine for Sparrows. But chartering the world’s largest production cargo plane to ship a crane from Aberdeen to Abu Dhabi? This was a definite first.

A Middle East drilling client has commissioned Sparrows to re-furbish two OS 215 cranes for delivery in Abu Dhabi by Christmas – no small challenge in itself. The fact that one of the cranes was in Aberdeen would have made the logistic timeline impossible in normal circumstances.

The solution? Charter an Antonov 124 – the largest production aircraft ever built – to fly the crane from Prestwick (one of the few runways in Scotland long enough to land the fully-laden freighter) to Abu Dhabi. A low loader and three articulated lorries delivered the crane to Prestwick where the monster aircraft’s 120 tonne payload and 4,500km range meant it swallowed the load with ease and was able to make the delivery in one hop.

The departure of this rare bird the following morning drew an admiring audience of plane spotters, local press and inquisitive passers-by

With both cranes now at Sparrows Middle East regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi, the real task of refurbishment begins.

“Only a truly global contractor with Sparrows’ resources could tackle a challenge like this,” says Richard Wilson, Sparrows Executive Director, Eastern Hemisphere Operations. “We pulled together expertise and resources from Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi and Singapore to deliver this challenging work scope to a demanding timeline.”