ZCC9800W and ZCC11800 take on 80-tonne picks at 96 metres on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc airport expansion
A pair of Zoomlion crawler cranes in the 800-tonne class has joined the expansion of Phu Quoc International Airport in Vietnam, handling foundation-stage lifts and main steel erection ahead of the 2027 APEC summit.
The lifting problem
The terminal and runway works at Phu Quoc set an awkward combination of demands: heavy single components, long radii and no room to compromise on placing accuracy. Zoomlion reports that a single aircraft stand covers roughly 100 square metres, that the heaviest individual piece weighs 80 tonnes and that the maximum lifting distance reaches 96 metres.
That mix of weight and reach is what brought the ZCC9800W and ZCC11800 to the site. Both machines are rigged with a superlift arrangement built around a 63-metre main boom and a 72-metre luffing jib, together with superlift off-ground technology intended to hold the crane steady when travelling or slewing with a load. The configuration was chosen to give full coverage of an individual stand without repositioning.
What the cranes are doing
The two crawlers are carrying the core tasks — lifting heavy components during the foundation phase and installing the main steel structure. Zoomlion says the machines have been smooth and predictable in operation, which matters more than raw capacity when a long-radius pick has to be set accurately at the far end of a luffing jib.
Working an active airport expansion also means the cranes have to earn their footprint. With stands laid out at roughly 100 square metres apiece and steelwork arriving in heavy single pieces, the ability to cover a whole bay from one standing position removes a set of rigging moves that would otherwise eat into the programme. Zoomlion reports that site staff and the customer have been satisfied with the performance of both machines to date.
Why the schedule is tight
Phu Quoc Island is upgrading its aviation and urban infrastructure ahead of the 2027 APEC summit, and the airport expansion is the centrepiece. The work is being carried out by Vietnam’s Sun Group and is due for completion before the summit.
Once finished, the airport is expected to handle 18 million passengers a year, around 3.5 times its current capacity. The longer-term plan runs to 50 million passengers and 50,000 tonnes of cargo a year by 2050, which would make Phu Quoc a significant node in the Asia-Pacific network. With a fixed political deadline and a construction programme built around it, the availability of the two crawler cranes is effectively on the critical path.
Source: Zoomlion — Photos: Zoomlion
Lift data
- Cranes: Zoomlion ZCC9800W and ZCC11800 crawler cranes, 800-tonne class
- Configuration: 63 m main boom + 72 m luffing jib, superlift
- Heaviest single component: 80 t
- Maximum lifting distance: 96 m
- Project: Phu Quoc International Airport expansion, Vietnam
- Contractor: Sun Group
- Deadline: before the 2027 APEC summit
- Capacity after completion: 18 million passengers/year