Material handling specialists J D Neuhaus has recently supplied a BOP handling system comprising four of their air operated monorail hoists. This featured a centralised pneumatic system providing common sensitive controls for all the lift and traverse movements of the hoists either as individual or paired hoists, or with all four hoist units operating together in common.

The four hoists supplied were the EH 50 models each providing a 50 tonne lift capacity. Two hoists operate in tandem on one common overhead beam providing a collective synchronised lift of up to 100 tonne, with two separate power supplies also provided for individual hoist operation when required. To accommodate the provision of separate energy chains in the limited space available, the fitment of individual energy chains on both the top and underside of the support beam was necessary. Each of the four individual hoists are also equipped with an emergency lowering device to handle the controlled and safe grounding of suspended loads in the event of any total loss or interruption of mains air power supply.