Roll Group Delivers Giant Modules for Viva Energy’s Geelong Refinery Project

Roll Group has successfully completed the complex transport of eight massive modules for Viva Energy’s Ultra-Low Sulfur Gasoline (ULSG) project at the Geelong Refinery in Australia. The project, carried out in partnership with McDermott, involved moving five pre-assembled unit (PAU) modules from CB&I’s facility in Sattahip, Thailand, and three heater modules from Laem Chabang.

Each module weighed up to 1,000 metric tons. The operation featured the debut of Roll Group’s new RollBarge 1, specially designed to fit inside their Rolldock ST-class vessel. This innovative setup allowed for seamless Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo loading between vessel and barge. The modules were weighed, transported using SPMTs, and securely sea-fastened by Roll Group’s in-house engineering team.

Upon arrival in Australia, the vessel remained moored at a deep-water quay, while the barge was floated out and towed to the shallow-water Module Offloading Facility (MOF) – a move that eliminated the need for dredging or jetty construction. Roll Group partnered with Bhagwan Marine for towing and barge operations.

The land transport posed further challenges. Roll Group, with subcontractors GO Traffic and Doolans Heavy Haulage, coordinated a 7-day road closure and installed a custom bridging system to support the modules’ weight. The modules were then moved to a staging area and finally installed at the refinery.