© Energy Cluster Denmark 2023
Global Gravity will be the Danish partner for Australian Verton, which has developed a solution that eliminates the need for control cables for heavy crane lifting. As part of the agreement, Verton will also introduce Global Gravity’s patented Tube Lock system for handling of drill pipes to the Australian market.
A remote-controlled, electromechanical lifting beam for heavy crane lifting is now being introduced on the Danish market. Global Gravity has entered into a partnership agreement with Australian Verton, which makes the Esbjerg company the sole distributor of Verton’s revolutionary lifting technology in Denmark.
Verton improves the safety and productivity of crane lifting with a system where one person alone can handle even very heavy lifts. Thereby, manual handling with control cables is avoided. Everest, which the lifting beam is called, is already used by several large international companies across industries, where heavy crane lifting is part of everyday life. Among these is MHI Vestas, which has recently entered into a partnership with Verton to improve the safety of lifting tasks on offshore wind platforms.
The total solution increases safety
Together with the Danish construction sites, the wind industry, offshore as well as onshore, will be in focus when Global Gravity introduces Verton’s lifting beams in the coming months. However, in the slightly longer term, when Verton obtains the necessary approvals, Global Gravity sees great potential in expanding the solution to the oil industry.
Global Gravity is already behind the patented TubeLock system for transporting and handling of drill pipes and collaborates with a number of major oil companies. With Verton’s products in its portfolio, the aim is to offer TubeLock customers a complete solution that makes the handling and transport of pipes even more secure and efficient.
“The vast majority of crane accidents affect people who are close to the load. Thus, Verton’s lifting beam is a huge improvement within the safety of heavy lifting. This is especially true for offshore, where the lack of space is one of the biggest challenges. Here we can jointly remove a large part of the manual handling and thereby increase safety,” says Kenneth Hagelskjær, CEO of Global Gravity.
A huge potential
Kenneth Hagelskjær was originally trained as a blacksmith and has personally experienced the kind of damage a stray drill pipe can cause to people and equipment. Accidents happen because the very heavy pipes are traditionally bundled with steel wires and require many manual lifts along the way. At Global Gravity, the drill pipes are fixed in the space-saving TubeLock modules before shipment, and the patented design means that the pipes can be handled one at a time on the platform. When TubeLock is combined with Verton’s lifting beam, manual handling is reduced to a minimum, making the whole process considerably more efficient.
“We have been working for a long time to expand our product range and Verton is a really good match for us. We see a huge potential in combining the two technologies because it makes the handling of drill pipes more secure, efficient and space-saving. At the same time, it is a way for us to enter the Australian offshore market, which we have high expectations for,” says Kenneth Hagelskjær.
The partnership with Verton comes at a time when interest in TubeLock is steadily rising. Global Gravity has just closed a deal with a new major customer in Qatar and is currently investing heavily in expanding the capacity of TubeLock modules, which are used exclusively for rental services. Kenneth Hagelskjær expects to hit 2,000 units by next summer, which will mean that Global Gravity can at a given time facilitate the transport and storage of up to 20,000 pipes. That’s more than a fivefold increase in just four years.
About Global Gravity
Global Gravity was established in 2010 in Esbjerg and specialises in the transport of drill pipes to the oil industry. The company is behind the patented system, Tube Lock, which is the world’s first Tubular Transport Running System (TTRS). With TubeLock, Global Gravity handles the entire handling and transport of drill pipes from storage space, across the quay to the ship and on to the drilling rig. It improves the safety and efficiency of the oil companies. Surveys show that customers save 18% of the time on the overall handling process. At the same time, they use 60% less space and halve the amount of handling out on the platform.
More about Global Gravity: https://www.globalgravity.dk
Link to images
https://we.tl/t-DI0cd4zc42
Suggested captions
Global Gravity1+2: Global Gravity is already behind the patented TubeLock system for transporting and handling of drill pipes. With Verton’s products in its portfolio, customers are offered a complete solution that makes the handling and transport of pipes even more secure and efficient.
Verton1+2: Verton’s electromechanical lifting beam is already used by several large international companies across industries, where heavy crane lifting is part of everyday life. With Global Gravity in Esbjerg as a partner, the solution is now being introduced in Denmark, where the offshore industry in particular is in focus.
Links til videos
Global Gravity intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thocHQC-oxk
Verton intro: https://vimeo.com/393844522
Press service: Rasmus Gregersen, Public Image, tel.: (+45) 26 22 62 97, E-mail: rasmus@publicimage.dk
© Energy Cluster Denmark 2023