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Collett delivers Super Grid Transformer to Lovedean Substation

Heavy transport specialist Collett & Sons successfully delivered the 169 tonne Super Grid Transformer from Portsmouth International Port to Lovedean Substation, as part of an upgrade programme to supply homes, hospitals, schools and businesses in the area. The project involved the Collett Projects and Heavy Lift Teams, who undertook all the pre-planning works including a detailed swept path analysis reports of the route.

The Collett Team discharged the Super Grid Transformer from the vessel at the Portsmouth International Port and loaded it to its 66m long and 5.3m wide Scheuerle girder bridge to began the 12 mile journey to the substation. Two ‘end-change’ operations were required and completed along the route effectively flipping the combination 180 degrees to allow further transport. The convoy travelled across Portsmouth, Cosham, Havant, Purbrook, Waterlooville and Horndean under police escort. Once arrived, the Heavy Lift Team began the final positioning of the cargo. Due to restrictions on the site, the team was not allowed to skid the transformer directly to its designated plinth, the Collett & Sons specialists designed and implemented a multi-directional system to skid the Super Grid Transformer over the bund wall onto a steel platform. Once situated on the platform the hydraulic skidding system was then repositioned at 90 degree angle allowing to complete the positioning.

The Team was also in charge of the 1040ft containers of ancillaries required for the project, taking full responsibility for all cargo, delivering complete transport logistics, including de-vanning and storage facilities.

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Bolloré Logistics engaged in Dakar’s Regional Express Train construction project

As a part of the “Emerging Senegal Plan”, launched by the President of the Republic and the Government of Senegal in 2014, the French company Eiffage has engaged the services of Bolloré Logistics for the Regional Express Train construction project that will connect Dakar city center to Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) in less than one hour. The new railway will have two lines for passengers and an additional line uniquely used for freight transportation. Bolloré Logistics teams are in charge of the logistics operations of out-of-gauge packages, that contain 36-meter beams and 34-meter gateways, from discharge at port of Dakar to their delivery to the construction site in Bargny. These pieces, coming from Antwerp in Belgium, will be used for the construction of 11 routing bridges and 16 walkways between Bargny and Diamniadio.

The first six beams, measuring 36m in length and weighing 10 tons each, were delivered to the construction site in September and were discharged with two cranes of 40 and 50 tons. To transport the heavy lift cargo, two convoys with an extra-long trailer and a telescoping of 40-meters were required.

The duration of this contract should extend to the end of June 2019.

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ALE moves a 450t substation support tower in Spain

In Navarra, Spain, ALE has been requested by Nabrawind Technologies to find a bespoke engineering solution in order to heighten the prototype of the Nabralift self-erecting tower, one of the world’s highest wind towers. To move this 160m high and 450t tower, ALE used 12 axle lines of SPMT and 3 strand jack units for the heightening. “By providing this customised solution, our client can now how the means of developing onshore wind farms in the most cost and time effective method ever through possible. This is game-changing technology, specifically for those located on difficult-to-reach islands or mountainous sites. From our findings, we are already developing engineering processes to fulfil the requirements of future large-scale installations with an aim to develop two towers a week,” explained Project Engineer David Arias Blanco.

This project ended in September with ongoing discussions about future use of this prototype and technology. ALE was working alongside the client to develop the methodology used for this prototype for the future production of ind towers from 2019.

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ALE’s Mega Jack 300 performs in Kuwait

As a part of the Al Zafour Refinery Project EPC 2 and 3, Ale is providing onshore heavylifting solution that includes receiving pre-assambled pipe rack modules from barges at the project’s construction dock, where they are transported on SPTs over 4km to a staging area. Once at staging, the modules are raised to various heights using the new Mega Jack 300 system, which has 300t capacity per tower. According to the heavy lift specialist Ale the components of this system are compact and easy to handle on site, meaning that the re-configurations are made in as little time as possible. In addition, the jacking time has been reduced during the development phase, resulting in jack-up operations taking one or two hours.

“It was a proud moment for all of us to utilise this state of the art equipment in the Middle East for the first time. As it is compact and very effective, with high capacity, this opens a lot of opportunities in the region using this innovative technology,” said Binu K.T., Installation Manager for ALE’s Middle East branch.

A total of 188 modules, measuring up to 40m in length and weighing up to 2,100t, will be delivered to site.

 

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Al Faris lifts 426t precast girders for Dubai’s Route 2020 project

Following previous operations on the Dubai Metro Lines, the heavy lifting and transport specialist Al Faris, based in Dubai, handled the loading, transporting and lifting of precast girders weighing 426 t.

After careful calculations and precise analysis, it was decided to use a gantry system for lifting the girders due to problems caused by the confined space restrictions. At first the precast girders were loaded using a SBL900 gantry system on its 19-axle Goldhofer THP / SL trailer connected to a 680 horsepower heavy duty prime mover. The gantry was set up with a Liebherr 100t all terrain crane and forklift. The precast girders were then lifted and erected on the metro column by a 650t crawler crane with SSL2 configuration and 42m main boom. All the operations were performed at night to avoid road traffic and other obstacles.

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Volga-Dnepr Airlines succeeds in transporting of bottle-filling equipment for LS International Cargo GMBH

The Russian company Volga-Dnepr Airlines, dedicated to outsize and super-heavy transportation, has successfully delivered a Krones bottle-filling machine and a variety of additional equipment for LS International Cargo GMBH. The load consisted of 9 packages with a total weight of 58 t. The cargo measured 442 cbm with the largest pieces weighing 17.86 tonnes and 11.56 tonnes.  This operation was carried out using an An-124-100 freighter.

The cargo was loaded in Munich, where Krones’ nearest production facility in Germany is located, to be delivered to Entebbe, Uganda for Crown Beverages Limited, one of the leading soft drink bottler in the country.

A team of specialists from Volga-Dnepr started with the freight inspection in Munich to find the best loading solution , provide suggestions for cargo preparation and to minimise the time required for airport handling procedures on the day of departure. On the day of the flight, the machinery was loaded into the An-124-100 using special loading equipment and delivered to Entebbe International Airport.

“This project allowed us to showcase our expertise and experience in the provision of dedicated services for the energy and heavy machinery industries. The ideal location of our regional operational base in Leipzig, Germany, with available operations personnel and essential loading equipment, made it possible to save time while organising on-site visits to Munich for cargo inspection. Accessibility of the airplane at our local operational base in Germany made the costs for positioning the aircraft minimal and the charter flight attractive for our customer price-wise, “ commented Ekaterina Andreeva, Commercial Manager of Volga-Dnepr in the UK

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In Dubai, Al Faris transports world’s biggest buoy on 16 axle lines of Goldhofer SPMT

The heavy lifting and transport specialist Al Faris has recently completed the loading and transportation of a turret type buoy, one of the biggest and heaviest buoy in the world to be carried on road, from Dubai to Jebel Ali Port. The load, weighing 455t with a 18.3m diameter and 16m height, was transported using 4 files of 16 axles Goldhofer SPMT (self-propelled modular transporter) and was loaded by the self-jacking system of the trailer. The biggest challenge during the transportation was maneuvering the SPMT with the load in narrow routes, bottles necks and sharp turns as well as significant diversions and managing temporary traffic routes.

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Bolloré Logistics transports for the Karuma Dam in Uganda

Bolloré Logistics teams from Uganda and Kenya have collaborated to transport construction equipment items for a major project in Uganda. In 2015, Chinese Group Power China, whose subsidiary Sinohydro specialises in the construction of dams, began the construction of the Karuma power station, the first underground hydropower plant with a capacity of 600 MW. Located on the edge of the Nile, in northwestern Uganda, the country hopes to meet the growing demand for electricity with this project. In October 2016, Bolloré Logistics ensured the shipment of the trucks carrying the goods, as part of the contract including unloading and transport from the port of Mombassa (Kenya) to the Karuma yard (Uganda), 1,285 km in 12 days. As a part of the same contract, in 2018, the international transport and logistics specialist transported and unloaded a 98-ton container to the 15 km long and 450 m deep tunnel. The tricky part of this task was the accessibility and means of movement in a narrow tunnel with a inclination of about 12 degrees. Thank to the adapted solutions, such as the deployment of a rail system access, tilting of the container or the moving of trailers in reverse, the entire transport was carried out without accident.  Today, 85% of the work has been completed and the project will be finished in 2019.

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Mammoet and Scheuerle unveil Trailer Power Assist

The heavy lifting and specialised transport company Mammoet and the SPMT and trailer manufacturer Scheuerle (member of the TII Group) have recently presented a new trailer system called Trailer Power Assist (TPA), designed to make heavy transport projects quicker and safer.

Manufactured by Scheuerle according to Mammoet’s specifications, the first TPA units were unveiled at a ceremony held at Scheuerle’s headquarters in Pfedelbach, Germany.

Each TPA trailer has a 1,000 horsepower diesel engine powering a hydraulic system, that results in a trailer with twice the pulling force of a convention prime mover unit but with no ballast requirements. According to the constructor the overall weight and length of transports will be reduced, thus lowering emissions and eliminating the need for multi-truck configurations.

“Trailer Power Assist is the most efficient, sustainable and cost-effective answer for the complex transport demands of large scale construction projects,” said Jan Kleijn, COO of Mammoet.

TPA transport solution is based on the self-propelled K25 modular platform vehicle which hydraulically drives four of the six axle lines by means of a Power Pack Unit (PPU). With a performance of 735 kW (1,000 hp) as well as a traction force of 400 kilonewtons, one vehicle in the version featuring a drive unit and a 6-axle platform trailer replaces two fully loaded heavy-duty truck tractors.

Designed for international transportation, the TPA has an assisted road speed up to 28km/h, which is up to 20 times faster than a self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT), as stated by Mammoet and Scheuerle. TPA’s hydraulic hub motors can be re-engaged to slow the load down hydrostatically, reducing wear and tear on its brakes, and provide the precision and control required to navigate narrow or winding sections of the route. According to the constructor, by reducing the overall weight of the transport – fewer trailers and less or no ballast – TPA improves fuel efficiency and, by reducing the overall length and number of powered units involved, TPA will reduce complexity, increase project safety and requires only one driver. TPA operates between -40C and +50C and is designed for transporting heavy modules to facilities in remote locations.

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Cometto MSPE for heavy duty movements in Mali

International logistics specialist Marine Maroc, based in Casablanca, has recently used a four modular combinations of Cometto self-propelled trailers MSPE 40t in side-by-side configuration for heavy duty movements in Sub-Saharan Africa. This project involved the transport of six diesel engines each weighing 215t and six generators each weighing 72t for the power plant of Kayes in Mali. Marine Maroc handled this operation for its final customer Bolloré Logistics on behalf of BWSC Denmark.

“The MSPE convoy formed by eight axle lines has been side-by-side with other eight axle vehicles”, explains Daniel Delorme, the CEO of Marine Maroc. “We reached a platform wide of five meters and a payload of about 600t always assuring the safest transport conditions of the load. They were used for the final movement of the project to position the engines inside the power house on the job site, alongside the foundations.”

The Cometto MSPE is a part of their vehicle park since 2013. The semi-trailers manufacturer offers four interchangeable series of MSPE having capacities up to 70t per axle line for the newest MSPE Evo3.