Erhardt Projects manages a special operation between South Korea and the United Arab Emirates for a leading global engineering and construction company, which needs to transport 175 pieces, totaling more than 9,000 freight tons, for the expansion of a flagship power plant at destination.
The operation begins in the Port of Masan with the loading of 160 pieces on the Pauwgracht, an heavy lift vessel chartered by Erhardt Projects, equipped with two cranes with a lifting capacity of 700 tons each (both can be combined up to 1,400 tons lifting capacity), which allows loading and unloading safely on the first quay line without the need for third party equipment in the ports of origin and destination. Among the pieces to be loaded are 15 large boiler modules, the heaviest one reaching 267 tons, 29 meters long, 4 meters wide and 3.5 meters high.
After loading the first 160 pieces, the Pauwgracht sails to the Port of Gunsan where it calls to load 15 more pieces of equipment of different weights and sizes, among which are 2 condensers, the heaviest being 95 tons, 14 meters long, 6 meters wide and 4 meters high.
Once the packing list of the operation is completed, the vessel heads to its final destination, the Port of Hamriyah in Sharjah, where the parts are unloaded directly from the ship’s cranes to 20-axle Goldhofer type modular vehicles, and then unloaded on stools on the esplanade agreed with the port until their transfer to the final site, once the corresponding import customs formalities have been completed.
The continuous coordination with the ship’s captain, the port, the carrier and the client allowed for an unloading without downtime, optimizing stowage hands, respecting all local requirements, and avoiding delays and additional costs associated with them.
Once the unloading of all the parts was completed and the bill of entry authorizing their departure from the port was issued, the transport of the parts to the site began, using conventional hydraulic trailers, coordinating the transport of general merchandise during the day and the transport of large modules at night, in accordance with local road transport regulations. The latter were transported in a two-piece convoy to the site where they were unloaded on stools.
The entire operation took place over 13 days and was led from Hamriyah by 2 members of the Erhardt Projects Engineering Team, ensuring through coordination, technical supervision and management that all parts left daily, without interruption in deliveries, guaranteeing the deadlines committed to the client and limiting the costs arising from their storage at the port.
“The agile and successful execution of a special cargo operation is only possible if a previous study of the route from the origin to the final destination of the cargo is carried out, identifying the different elements, obstacles and risks that condition it and technically designing the best logistic alternative for its realization. However, it is also important to be “in situ” to solve in a technical way any problem or unforeseen event, making decisions in real time from the knowledge and experience both in transport logistics and in the market in which it is carried out” says Belén Fernández.
Eduardo Sanmartín adds “that the capacity to adapt and the permanent search for alternatives in the face of unforeseen situations are undoubtedly essential for the success of an operation. Adjusting to the changes in delivery orders required, to the ship’s unloading rates, to the client’s capacity to receive and unload the parts, and also taking into account local restrictions on access to the port, require quick decisions to be made with respect to what was designed and planned, which are essential so that the operation does not suffer.”
Undoubtedly, our team of experts offered a solution in which, in addition to combining maritime, inland, regulatory compliance and documentary services, all orchestrated from a single point of contact, they added their passion, predisposition and decisive capacity to ensure the commitment acquired with the client.
