In early 2013, LOGIS Group executed an interesting project to transport air separation equipment to one of the works located in Zelenograd’s industrial area.
This project had been under preparation for a year and a half. At the initial stage, it was checked if possible to carry out transshipment in the Port of Mariupol and several ports of the Moscow Canal; also the motor road to the final destination was surveyed, as the cargo size was much bigger than maximum allowable dimensions.
The items had the following weights and dimensions: cold module 34.18 х 5.36 х 4.65 m, weight – 135.5 tons, warm module 19.00 х 4.90 х 4.97, weight – 58.5 tons. What is curious here is that such abnormal loads had never before been transported in Moscow Oblast to such a distance (more than 130 km).
Over 12 bridges are located enroute from the jetty which predetermined a number of design and survey operations. The freight travelled not only along Moscow Oblast (which is not that easy by itself), but also within the administrative limits of Moscow, in Zelenograd congested with infrastructure, cable networks and pedestrian bridges, with dense traffic and minor number of diversion options.
Thanks to sound development and preparation of the project, unloading by means of special gear and vehicles went off quick and without any hiccups in spite of complicated weather conditions (rain and wind). Two bulky items were loaded onto special supports. Some time later spent on additional designs and surveys, the load set out for a long 130-kilometer haul from jetty to unloading site. Extra time was required to guarantee safe delivery of the 135-ton cargo through bridges, flyovers and roads. And also to make sure that use of 21-axle haul rig and two special tractor units for the 34-meter load, and 8-axle semi-trailer with a tractor unit for the 19-meter load was really safe for people, machinery and cargo given proper escort of the combinations.
We need to give credit for the experts, specialists and departments: the cargo covered the route rather quick – in 14 hours. It is to particularly note how the combination was travelling across Zelenograd. Originally, the whole day was planned to pass the city. Considering the fact that the combination arrived in the evening of Thursday and on March 1 access for heavy vehicles to Zelenograd streets was closed because of celebration of the City Day, it was decided to drive through the city on that very day. In the evening of February 27, the motor column of two haul rigs escorted by special vehicles and Road Patrol Service cars moved in Zelenograd. On Generala Alekseeva Prospekt, the out-of-gauge combinations couldn’t pass under ad banners hanging above the driveway and they had to be taken down enroute of the column.
And finally, in the early morning of March 1, two tractor units following each other along the narrow access road in front of the gatehouse and in a rather narrow space of the works successfully delivered the unique cargo to its destination thanks to thorough preparations and skills of haul rig crews and despite fresh snow which iced up throughout the night. Completely new ideas for handling operations and transport of the oversized cargo were used during implementation of this project; they open new opportunities to perform haulage of abnormal project loads down the roads of the Russian Federation and Moscow Region, in particular.