Case Studies

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One of the largest movements of fractionation towers took place from Gijon, Spain to a refinery project in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The movement was performed by Intermarine and consisted of four columns, each more than 300 feet long, with weights of 310 to 1,195 metric tons. The shear size and weight of the pieces presented transport challenges on both land and water. The pieces were key components for the Yanpet refinery complex being built by ABB Lummus for Mobil Oil.

Adding to the challenge was an uncertain shipping schedule. Although the heavy haul equipment necessary to perform this lift needed to be contracted for well ahead of time, trying to predict exactly when four pieces of this size would be completed was not realistic. In this light, Intermarine was employed early in the fabrication stage as the turnkey contractor.

The size and weight of the pieces precluded all but short inland movements. Although they were fabricated at a waterside facility in Gijon, Spain, there was not sufficient water depth at the site to accommodate ocean going vessels. Detailed discussions took place in Gijon between the project engineers and Intermarine as to the best method of handling this cargo. After careful surveys, it was decided the pieces could be rolled from their construction point to a shallow draft barge. The barge would then be moved to an awaiting ro-ro vessel and the pieces rolled from the barge to the ship.

For movement to the ship, Intermarine mobilized self-propelled modular trailers (SPMT’s) to transfer the columns from the fabrication site onto the barge, and then on to the ro-ro vessels at the port of Gijon.

For ocean carriage, Intermarine utilized semi-submersible, ro-ro vessels. These state of the art vessels provided not only the space required to carry these columns two at a time, but also the sophisticated ballasting capabilities necessary to move lifts of more than 1,000 tons into the vessels while keeping an even keel. Due to the size and weight of the pieces, clearances and stress tolerances were very tight. To properly plan the move CAD drawings were produced to simulate every detail of loading, stowage, and lashing. Models were then run to simulate sea conditions with up to force 7 gales. Intermarine’s senior personnel were on site to coordinate all aspects of the transport. In total, two ships were used to carry two columns each. Each column was rolled aboard the barge and thence to the vessel without incident.

The ships proceeded to Yanbu, where they were discharged using similar SPMT’s. At the construction site, a 2000 ton capacity crane waited to position the columns vertically.