Jun 25 | 2021
Female-led Team in Northern Alberta
Heavy-lift specialist Mammoet provided a range of unique crane services to support the planned maintenance of a high-priority hydrogen plant in northern Alberta, Canada.
The complex project involved a multi-crane deployment, designed to minimize downtime at the facility, and advanced equality practices thanks to a female-led project team.
“The Fort McMurray team provided approximately six cranes, ranging in size from an 18-tonne carry deck all the way up to a 385-tonne crawler crane,” a member of the project team said.
Sea of Red Booms
A large number of hoists were required for the project, with Mammoet’s team supplying a variety of crane types, including several rough terrain (RT) and all terrain (AT) cranes.
“At the center of the “sea of red booms” was a massive LR 1350 crawler crane configured with a luffing jib, proudly towering above the rest,” a spokesperson for Mammoet said.
Headquartered in Schiedam in the Netherlands, Mammoet provides a range of services from transportation and logistics planning to heavy-lift and crane rental. The firm is a global event partner for Breakbulk exhibitions.
Female Crew
The maintenance assignment was also notable due to the presence of no fewer than five female Mammoet employees on the project. This crew included Marley MacNeil, crane operator of Mammoet’s giant LR 1350 crane, which was used to position key components in the upgrade.
“Ten years ago, having five female employees on a shutdown would have been unheard of,” MacNeil said, adding that her work with the LR 1350 was “a highlight of my career!”
The firm’s longstanding support for women in the breakbulk industry is part of a wider strategy to support female careers. The company’s Mammoet Canada Western division is a sponsor of the Women Building Futures program, providing support for more than eight years.
“The program opens up many opportunities to a demographic that may not have otherwise considered a career in the trades and it provides the tools and resources needed to be successful,” a Mammoet spokesperson said.
Established in 1998, Women Building Futures provides trades training for women, with extensive experience recruiting women into the heavy industrial workforce at a consistent employment placement rate of 90 percent.
Commenting on the opportunity to learn on the LR 1350 and grow within the company, MacNeil expressed her desire to continue “learning more about cranes I don’t have much experience on, expanding my knowledge of all of Mammoet’s cranes and fine-tuning my expertise.”
Subscribe to BreakbulkONE and receive more industry stories and updates around impact of COVID-19.