In September 2014 SV Trans launched the project to deliver heavy and outsized equipment from European countries to Russia. They had to carry 17 items of various weights and dimensions to the ACRON plant in Veliky Novgorod. The equipment was supplied within Ammonia-4 investment project.
Having studied specifications of the equipment and elaborated possible delivery routes, SV Trans engineers divided all cargoes into two types: out-of-gauge and in-gauge loads. Light-weight (in-gauge) cargoes from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and France were loaded onto standard vehicles directly at the manufacturers’ plants and supplied to ACRON site in Veliky Novgorod.
To carry 4 units of heavyweight out-of-gauge equipment, SV Trans engineering team developed a multimodal plan of transportation, including several types of transport and reloading in the course of delivery. The lot had the following dimensions and weights:
- Waste-heat boiler (Port Ortona): weight 243,604 kilograms, 2,218х560х508 centimeters
- Steam drum (Port Ortona): weight 89,420 kilograms, 1,200х400х506 centimeters
- Synthesis-cycle waste-heat boiler (Port Ortona): weight 80,550 kilograms, 1,644х308х318 centimeters
- Converter pressure vessel (Port Monfalcone): weight 381,800 kilograms, 2,348х530х471 centimeters
Before proceeding to shipment of the oversize heavy cargo, company specialists developed and agreed upon cargo loading, reloading and delivery arrangements with the manufacturer and the consignee. They also chartered a crane vessel with 2 cranes with the lifting capacity of 700 tons in Italy, as the loading took place in two Italian ports.
Three overweight units were received by SV Trans specialists on the Walter Tosto plant. The cargoes were loaded onto self-propelled module transporters and, accompanied by cover vehicles, delivered to Port Ortona along the preinspected route of local roads. In the port the consignment was stowed by the crane vessel and fastened for further carriage to Russia.
Out-of-gauge and the heaviest unit – converter pressure vessel – weighing 381,800 kilograms was delivered to the loading point along Port Monfalcone area, as the plant itself is located in the port. This heavy load was also stowed using vessel’s cranes and fastened for further shipment.
Oversize and heavy lift loads were transported from Italy to Russia by SV Trans efforts only. Then the cargoes were shipped to the Port of Saint-Petersburg and reloaded by the cranes of the anchored vessel onto two Ro-Ro barges for further shipment along Volkhov River to Veliky Novgorod.
In the Port of Saint-Petersburg the anchored sea crane vessel was discharged and the OOG equipment – high-pressure generator consisting of four parts – was reloaded onto two river barges chartered by SV Trans with the lifting capacity of 600 tons each.
While the heavy equipment was on its way from Saint-Petersburg to Veliky Novgorod along Volkhov River, specialists of SV Trans implementation department constructed a temporary quay, storage area for the outsized cargoes and a road connecting the quay and the highway. The quay was built with due consideration of all engineering details regarding specifications of the heavy items. As intended in case of heavy haulage, all handling operations were worked through by the Company engineers. SV Trans specialists developed a transport and logistic scheme and approved the entire project with the Client – ACRON.
Ramped flat top barges of Ro-Ro type moored to the temporary quay as unloading of the equipment advanced in compliance with the designed heavyweight transport and storage plan. To keep the barge in the unloading position and ensure its stability in the course of rolling out the cargoes, mooring points were arranged along the coastline.
The heavy processing equipment is installed on temporary supports on the barge to allow self-propelled module transporters under the cradles. Before proceeding to unloading of the OOG processing equipment, SV Trans experts installed and fixed the boat ramps in the design position, as well as unfastened the cargo for its further haulage. The following vehicles were used to unload the oversize cargo off the barge by the Ro-Ro method:
- 12 axes of Scheuerle SPMT making a single line were used to transport the 243.6-ton waste-heat boiler, 80.5-ton synthesis-cycle waste-heat boiler and the 89.4-ton steam drum.
- 8-axle modular trailers Scheuerle Inter Combi together with 12-axle SPMT Scheuerle were used to unload the ammonia converter weighing over 400 tons.
All heavy out-of-gauge units were discharged from the barge and delivered to the temporary storage area.
In December 2014 SV Trans completed the international oversize haulage project at the ACRON facility in Italy.
The last phase of transporting the breakbulk items was carriage of the process cargoes from the storage area on the Volkhov River quay to AMMONIA-4 construction site on the territory of ACRON. The entire motor transport route was carefully worked through by SV Trans engineers. They drew up transport and logistic schemes of loading and securing the cargoes on vehicles and obtained permits for hauling the heavy gear along the public roads to Veliky Novgorod.
The route of transportation from the quay to the construction site passed through an unguarded electrified railway crossing. Specialists of SV Trans agreed upon the route with RZD structural subdivisions and obtained a permit for the “occupation” to carry the heavy processing equipment. It took two phases to complete the carriage. The first phase consisted in transporting two units – 80.5-ton and 243.6-ton waste-heat boilers. The second phase involved carrying two remaining positions – 89.4-ton steam drum and the heaviest item – ammonia converter weighing over 400 tons.
Heavy haulage was accompanied by SV Trans vehicles and a Road Patrol Service car. At night the convoy crossed the city escorted by the NovgorodOblElectro team who used elevating work platforms to deenergize and hoist power cables and trolley lines. SV Trans obtained corresponding permits for transporting oversize cargo from the storage area to the unloading point.
A certain challenge was posed by loaded vehicles crossing the railway tracks. The lowest traveling height came up to 4.7 meters and the maximum – 6.3 meters. But thanks to properly organized work and authorization of OOG haulage, “occupation” status for crossing the railways, and involvement of electricians to lift the cables using the work platforms, as well as owing to allocation of duties between the Company’s specialists, the railway crossing and the entire route were passed by SV Trans vehicles with outsized loads in due time, and all four processing units were delivered to the ACRON construction site.
Another large-scale project on transporting oversize and heavy lift items from Europe to Russia was successfully completed on New Year’s Eve.