Lifting and haulage for oil & gas operators nationwide.
Crane hire, contract lifting and haulage on live process sites and Top Tier COMAH establishments. Our crews work to permit, and our lift plans are built around the site you’ve got, not the one on the drawing.
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Lifting on a live hydrocarbon site isn't the same as lifting on a building site.
The crane is the easy bit. Most of the cost and most of the risk sit in everything around it: the permit, the isolation, the ground under the outriggers, and who else is working inside the radius that day. On a live oil and gas site, none of that is optional. Hazardous area classifications dictate what kit can go where, and simultaneous operations mean your lift is rarely the only thing happening on that plot. Get one of those wrong, and the crane is the least of your problems.
Permit to work and isolations
Our Appointed Persons build the lift plan around your permit system rather than alongside it. Paperwork goes in early, so getting us approved isn’t the thing everyone ends up waiting on.
Shutdown windows that don't move
A turnaround runs to the hour. We sequence the lifts and set the crane to suit your window, and we plan for the overrun that tends to happen somewhere in the middle of it.
Simultaneous operations, tight plots
Live pipework, other trades, and not much room to slew. We resolve the lift path and the exclusion zone on paper first, with whoever else is on shift accounted for.
Ground bearing and temporary works
Buried services and made ground change what an outrigger can safely sit on. We calculate the ground bearing pressure and spec the matting to match, instead of assuming the hardstanding will take it.
Inductions, cards and certification
Whatever your site asks for, sorted before we arrive. Lift plans, RAMS, competence records and equipment certificates come over in the format your HSE team actually files them in.
Compliance
Every lift is planned and carried out to the standards below, plus whatever your own site regime adds on top of them.
- BS 7121, safe use of cranes
- LOLER 1998 and PUWER 1998
- COMAH site requirements
- DSEAR and hazardous area awareness
- Lift plans, RAMS and toolbox talks
- Full equipment certification supplied
Typical lifts we handle in oil and gas.
Oil and gas lifts rarely come as a single, isolated job. Typical work includes vessel and column installations, compressor and pump changes, pipe spool lifts, module and skid placements, and heavy lifts during planned shutdowns and turnarounds. Tank farm work brings its access and ground-bearing challenges, while brownfield sites mean lifting around live plant and restricted footprints. Each lift is planned around the site’s constraints, whether that’s a permit system, a hazardous area classification or a turnaround window, so the right crane, rigging and sequence are matched to the job.
01
Turnarounds and shutdowns
Lifting cover across the whole window, from first isolation through to start-up, with cranes and crews committed to your programme.
02
Vessel and column replacement
Process vessels, columns and reactors in and out of tight plot space. Tandem lifts where the radius leaves no other option.
03
Heat exchanger bundle pulls
Bundles pulled, moved for cleaning and put back, timed around the isolation.
04
Pipework and spool installation
Prefabricated spools, pipe rack sections and tie-ins, set to suit the fabrication and welding sequence rather than cutting across it.
05
Module and skid installation
Packaged plant hauled in and set in position by the same team, so nothing falls down the gap between the transport and the lift.
06
Tank farm and terminal work
Lifting around bunded tank farms, loading gantries and jetty pipework, planned for the access those bund roads really allow.
Our services on an oil and gas site.
On an oil and gas site, Buzzard brings crane hire, contract lifting and specialist haulage together as one coordinated operation. We plan every lift around the realities of a live site: permits, isolations, hazardous area classifications and whoever else is working within the radius that day. From vessel and module lifts to shutdown and turnaround work, our team always manages the process end to end, so site teams deal with a single point of contact instead of several separate contractors.
Contract Lifting
We supply the Appointed Person, the lift plan and the insurance, and we carry the responsibility. This is what most operators pick for turnaround work.
Crane Hire
CPA hire for when your team holds the AP and the lift plan. Cranes matched to the plot access, radius and ground you’re working with.
HIAB Hire
Lift and transport in one vehicle movement. Useful for cabins, containers, pumps and the smaller plant that still has to go somewhere.
Haulage
Vessels, skids and abnormal loads to and from site, with route planning, permits and escorts where the load needs them.
Specialist Personnel Supply
Appointed Persons, lift supervisors, slinger/signallers, riggers and steel erectors. One shift or a full shutdown.
Plant & Equipment Hire
MEWPs, telehandlers, forklifts, crane mats and rigging gear to cover the rest of the scope.
Oil and gas lifting FAQ's.
Can you work on Top Tier COMAH sites?
Yes. We work on COMAH establishments across Teesside and we’re used to the permit, isolation and induction requirements that come with them. Lift plans, RAMS, competence records and equipment certificates go over before we mobilise, so getting us approved isn’t what holds the job up.
Do you support planned shutdowns and turnarounds?
Yes, and a good share of our work is exactly that. We plan the crane positions, the lift sequence and the crew rotation around your window, and we can hold equipment and people for the length of the programme rather than rebooking day to day.
Should we use a contract lift or CPA crane hire on a process site?
If you have a qualified Appointed Person and want to own the lift plan, CPA hire is fine. If you’d rather the planning, the people and the insurance sat with us, take a contract lift. Most operators go for the contract lift on turnarounds, because it takes a coordination job off their desk at the worst possible time to be doing one.
Can you transport the load as well as lift it?
Yes. Lifting and haulage sit in the same business, so a vessel or a skid can be delivered and installed by one team on one point of contact. That removes the handover between the hauler and the lifting contractor, which is where the delays and the damage usually come from.
How far ahead do you need to plan a lift?
For something straightforward, a few days. For anything involving a site survey, temporary works or a shutdown window, bring us in as early as you can. The earlier we see the constraints, the cheaper the plan usually gets.
What do you need from us to quote?
Weight and dimensions, where it’s coming from and going to, the access and ground conditions, and the window you’re working to. Drawings and a site plan help. If you don’t have all of that yet, send what you’ve got and we’ll work the rest out with you.
Planning work on an oil or gas site?
Send us the load, the plot and the window. We’ll come back with a plan and a price.