There’s an adage in project cargo logistics: “The shortest part of the move is often the most challenging.” That was particularly true for UTC Overseas recently when they handled the transport and job-site delivery of 734 MT/809T of power generation equipment from Europe to east coast South America. The deliveries consisted of a pair of engine/generator systems to power a refinery complex.

The two engines, weighing 295MT/325T apiece, were booked and loaded aboard a break bulk vessel by UTC experts in Europe. Upon port arrival in east coast South America, they were discharged to

a chartered deck barge, under UTC supervision, for river transport to a location six KM/3.7 miles from the port and final overland delivery of about 1.5 KM/1 mile to the job site.

The project contractors arranged ocean delivery of the two generator units (72 MT/79T each) from another European port. Their arrival at the offload port was coordinated with the UTC shipment to avoid costly delays in the project construction timetable. UTC managed all cargo movements from the port including ship-to-barge transfer and delivery of the engines, and truck delivery of the generators.

COMPUTING THE ANGLES CRITICAL TO SUCCESS

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UTC engineers had to compute both ramp angles and turning arcs to assure the safe offloading of this 325-ton engine from its delivery barge using self-propelled hydraulic transporters.

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For additional photos see our Project Gallery at http://www.utcoverseas.com/news/PG_Barge_Engines_Offload.pdf

May 2015 Volume 4, Issue 4

Point2Point Newsletter 1

While the barge transport was a same-day move of just six kilometers, preparations for that phase of the move required several months of detailed planning and preparation:

• First a suitable barge had to be located and chartered -- one with a cargo ramp that would enable the two units to be rolled onshore. Once located, several weeks of work were needed to raise the crossbar on the bow A-frame used to raise and lower the ramp. (Resting on self-powered hydraulic Goldhofer transporters, the huge motors stood 7.58M/24.86 feet high, and would not have been able to pass under the frame bar without the modification.)

• A naval architect prepared a UTC barge load plan to assure the two units, each resting on stools and beams, could be safely trans-loaded from the arriving ocean vessel and transported to the offload site without risk to barge stability.

• The specialized Goldhofer hydraulic transporter needed to carry the motors off the barge and overland to the final site was not available from in-country contractors. Arrangements were made to transport a leased Goldhofer to the offload port and load it aboard the barge along with the motors it would carry. At the offload site, it was maneuvered underneath each unit (mounted on stands for the barge move), then rolled, with its cargo, off the barge.

A UTC site survey also identified major offload challenges:

• First, a channel had to be excavated to assure the barge could get close enough to shore. UTC’s engineers determined the channel dimensions needed to assure sufficient barge draft on arrival at high tide.

• Equally challenging was the offload process. There was a 1.72M/5.6’ height differential between the barge and the shore. And, as the transporter rolled off the barge with its tall and heavy load, it would have to negotiate a tight turn to avoid a wall. UTC engineers, working with the transporter operators, carefully calculated a ramp angle from the barge that would enable the move to be completed without damaging the transporter or its engine cargo.

UTC Project Manager Tomi Tuominen, and company experts in Europe, the US. and South America, spent over four months coordinating on-scene surveys and vessel, barge and specialized equipment services. UTC personnel spent five weeks on site overseeing barge modifications, channel dredging and the successful trans-loading and transport of all systems to the job site. UTC’s work was completed when the engines and generators were carefully moved through the tight confines of the generator building main door for final assembly by contract engineers.

UTC CALCULATES ANGLES TO SUCCESS (continued)Join UTC Overseas

May 18 – 21 Europe Breakbulk Booth # 912 H4 Antwerp, Belgiumhttp://www.breakbulk.com/events/break-bulk-europe/breakbulk-europe-2015/

June 1 – 4 Cannex Booth #320 Guangzhou, China http://spgevents.com/cannex-fillex/can-nex-fillex-2015/

October 26 – 28 Asia CanTech Bangkok, Thailand http://www.asia-can.com/

December 8 – 10 Booth #1121Power Gen International Las Vegas, NV USA http://www.power-gen.com/

Goldhofer transporters carefully move the engine through the doorway of the project power plant for connection to a generator. Two such systems were installed at the facility to power a nearby refinery.

Point2Point Newsletter 2

May 2015, Volume 4, Issue 4