Vanguard has successfully executed two simultaneous wind blade offloading operations at the Ports of Richards Bay and Coega using its innovative wind blade shunt trailers. The milestone highlights Vanguard’s commitment to improving wind turbine logistics across South Africa’s ports.
At both locations, specialist shunt trailers—engineered to receive blades in either top or tail orientation—enabled direct offloading from vessels, eliminating the need for double handling or complex reorientation. In Richards Bay, three trailers transported blades from vessel to laydown area, with an identical operation running concurrently at Coega, showcasing the solution’s scalability.
Designed in-house, the trailers feature dual drawbars and custom beam configurations, accommodating blades over 90 metres long. They can be quickly reconfigured into a 7-axle format, enabling transport of heavier components like nacelles without dispatching extra equipment.
“This is a major step forward in our commitment to deliver high-impact, cost-effective logistics solutions to the renewable energy sector,” said Laura Hodgkinson, Director at Vanguard. “Completing two operations concurrently reflects the trailers’ versatility and our teams’ expertise.”
