PANEL: FAULTY DESIGN LED TO CRANE TRAGEDY

A faulty design caused the giant crane’s devastating crash in the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) premises that killed 11 persons on August 1.

This was the finding of the five-member committee, comprising Andhra University professors from engineering college, which submitted its report to the Collector on Tuesday.

The crux of the report, according to sources, was that the crane had a faulty design. The crane was designed and fabricated by Anupama Engineering Works, Mumbai. Although the crane was procured two years ago, it could not be installed as Anupama management refused to execute the work without receiving payment of their bills. Even though the company made an effort on two occasions it backed off due to a shortage of HSL engineers at the site.

The management hired Greenfield Engineers for installation but the inquiry report revealed that no agency was certified for the trial run. The bearings of the crane’s wheels were also weak because of which the machine was tilting on one side. However, experts opined that the Andhra University professors have no practical experience in cranes and hence their observation may not be correct. They said that the government should have hired experts from navy, shipyard and ports who deal with cranes on a daily basis.

Another inquiry report by the HSL director is yet to be released. The one-man committee was appointed by the Defence Ministry, under which the shipyard functions.

The mishap killed 11 persons on the spot.