Often in this magazine it’s the crane job sites that get all the glory with incredible lifting machines set against jaw-dropping backdrops. But we’re here to show that the world of abnormal transport can be equally eye-catching with the following five specialised transport spectacles.
From Scotland to South Korea, via Austria and the UAE, the following over-sized/over-weight transport case studies utilise a plethora of specialist equipment. Blade carriers, SPMTs, flatbed trailers, heavy duty modules and even a special nine-axle rail vehicle transporter all feature – showcasing the diversity and innovation inherent in today’s specialised transportation sector.
MAMMOET CONDUCTS RECORD LOADOUT AT KHALIFA PORT, UAE
Mammoet has completed the weighing, transport, and loadout of 24 PAU and PAR modules for a major gas development project in the UAE.
Fabricated by Quality International, a leading module fabrication and assembly yard in the UAE, the modules were loaded out at Khalifa Port – Abu Dhabi Ports’ flagship deepwater multi-purpose port. Achieving this milestone required close coordination with port operations – including adjustments to infrastructure to handle oversized cargo.
Every stage of the operation was studied by Mammoet engineers to help provide safe and efficient execution. The project marked the largest outward shipment in Khalifa Port’s history.
The modules were moved from the fabrication yard at Khalifa Port South Quay to the adjacent quayside, covering approximately 2.5 km, before being loaded out and shipped in four consignments. Mammoet’s scope included weighing the modules using 12 300-tonne and 18 150-tonne jack and load cells, applied in different configurations depending on each module’s size and weight.
For transport and loadout Mammoet deployed 120 axle lines of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) and four power pack units (PPU).
The heaviest and tallest unit – a Process Gas Cooling Module – weighed 2,464 tonnes and measured 38m long, 23m wide, and 32m high. Through careful planning and close collaboration the operation was completed seamlessly.
TAILORED TURBINE TRANSPORT DELIVERS 189 COMPONENTS IN TOTAL
Halifax, UK-headquartered heavy transport specialist Collett & Sons has completed the successfully delivery of 189 turbine components to EDF Power Solutions UK’s Stranoch Wind Farm in Scotland.
The project involved transporting blades, tower sections, nacelles, hubs, and drive trains for the construction of 20 Vestas turbines across three models, including 74-metre V150 blades.
The wind farm comprised three different models: nine V150s, seven V136s, and four V117s making the project a unique logistical undertaking due to the varied requirements of each turbine type.
All components arrived via Cairnryan Port in Scotland but due to limited storage capacity at the port Collett coordinated the transport sequence to ensure each component arrived at the specific turbine pad exactly when required for the pre-construction phase.
The 8.4-mile transport route from Cairnryan Port to the site consisted primarily of rural, single-track roads, presenting significant challenges for the larger components. To manage these constraints, all turbine blades across the three different models were transported using Nooteboom Super Wing Carriers. This included the 74–metre V150 blades, which are the longest blades Collett has delivered in the UK using this specific trailer type.
Tower sections were transported on Nooteboom tower clamp trailers, while nacelles were delivered using a combination of step-frame and clamp trailers.
The remaining components, including hubs and drive trains, were transported on six- and eight axle step-frame trailers.
To maintain a strict schedule, deliveries often operated on a double-shift pattern on many weekdays, typically transporting two to components in the morning followed by two to three components in the afternoon.
Each movement was supported by a dedicated police escort team as well as Collett’s in-house escort fleet.
The team for the project included six truck drivers, six escort drivers, two tow truck drivers and a comprehensive management team comprising a site manager, a dedicated project manager and assistant project manager.
Throughout the operation, Collett worked in close partnership with EDF power solution’s onsite team, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway Council and AMEY to ensure safety and minimal local disruption.
TRANSPORTING TRANSFORMERS IN TOUGH TERRAIN IN THE TYROL
Wels, Austria-headquartered transport, lifting and civil engineering firm Felbermayr has delivered the second of two 140-tonne transformers for the Kühtai 2 pumped storage hydropower plant in Tyrol, Austria.
Kühtai 2 is being developed by Tiroler Wasserkraft – an Austrian company that generates electricity from hydropower – and is a key element in Austria’s planned energy transition.
With a generating capacity of around 190 MW and a new reservoir located at an altitude of over 2,100 metres above sea-level, the plant will deliver flexible grid stabilisation and large CO2 savings.
Transporting the transformers to the construction site in high alpine terrain required a solution combining flexibility with strong tractive power.
The transformer, which measured 7.25m long, 3.54m wide and 4.29m high, was carried by rail to Zirl. There it was transferred to a heavy-duty module combination comprising equipment from Goldhofer. Felbermayr opted for a 15-axle combination – with a six-axle self-propelled Addrive and a two-axle FT Series module (THP/FT-L) up front, and a 3+4 combination from the same series at the back.
In between, a scissor lift bridge carried the transformer mounted on a turntable. A combination of tractor unit and pusher truck was used to handle the steep inclines on the mountain road.
According to Goldhofer, the flexibility and combination options of its FT Series was key to the operation’s success.
“With projects of this complexity the ability to configure modules with maximum flexibility and even combine them with self-propelled transporters such as the Addrive is a decisive advantage,” says Erwin Uebel, the Goldhofer service engineer who accompanied the transport. “The differences in height between the modules are not a problem; the FT Series is designed for maximum adaptability.”
Goldhofer says the Addrive also came into its own. As a hybrid solution, it can be used both as a towed module and as a self-propelled vehicle. On the last few kilometres to the construction site, at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, the 55-metre-long combination had to overcome gradients of over 16%. “On the steep sections, the extra power provided by the Addrive was worth its weight in gold,” says Uebel. “The combination of tractor assistance and towed module within the overall train makes it the ideal solution for challenging terrain.”
Towards the end of the journey narrow tunnels and a confined approach to the cavern required the millimetre precision offered by the module combination in order to safely deliver the load.
PRANGL USES NINE-AXLE RAIL VEHICLE TRANSPORTER IN CENTRAL LINZ
Vienna, Austria-based lifting and transportation specialist Prangl transported a railcar, owned by Austrian national railway company ÖBB, using a rail vehicle transporter. The railcar was transported along roads from the city harbour in Linz to Mühlkreis railway station in Linz Urfahr (around 3km away).
The ÖBB railcar weighed around 58 tonnes and measured 25.50 metres long, 2.83 metres wide, and 3.80 metres high. To move it Prangl utilised a four-axle HGV combined with a special nine axle rail vehicle transporter.
To load the train onto the train transporter a special ramp comprising several elements was required. The ramp elements had been delivered beforehand, by the four-axle tractor unit, and were waiting at the city harbour.
When needed the ramp parts were moved into position by Prangl using a 50-tonne truck-mounted crane – closely observing lifting and turning restrictions due to the overhead rail line.
Once the ramp was assembled the railcar was pulled onto the special trailer via the access ramp using a cable winch. The ramp was then disassembled and moved, using the semi-trailer, to the unloading point at the Mühlkreis railway station.
The nighttime transportation required the Mühlkreis motorway, right next to the harbour, to be closed at short notice. This was because the convoy needed the entire width of the motorway at the access point. Along the route the transport combination also needed stop at a bridge to be lowered in order to pass under it. There was also a particularly sharp bend that required close attention.
The rest of the journey was challenging due to the convoy’s dimensions. The escort vehicles had to repeatedly close sections along the route to permit safe passage – often on the opposite carriageway.
The final section was the trickiest of all. In order to get the railcar back onto the railway tracks the driver of the transporter was required to reverse along a 320-metre road. This went seamlessly, says Prangl, and the train was unloaded at its destination via the prepared ramp.
15KM WIND TURBINE BLADE TRANSPORTATION IN SOUTH KOREA
South Korean specialist transport company Anjeon Enterprise is transporting wind turbine blades along a 15km route along steep forest roads with gradients up to 11 per cent. The work is part of the Uiseong Hwanghaksan Onshore Wind Farm Project, currently under development in the Hwanghaksan area of Uiseong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. It is one of the country’s largest onshore wind initiatives.
The power project features 15 state-of-the-art 6.6 MW Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy wind turbines, each with rotor diameters of up to 170 metres and towers approximately 180 metres high. The turbines are distributed along an eight-kilometre corridor, with an estimated annual energy production of around 146,000 MWh – enough to power more than 40,000 households.
To transport the 85-metrelong, 28-tonne turbine blades Anjeon Enterprise has been using a combination of Faymonville WingMAX flatbed trailers and Cometto BladeMAX1000 blade lifters mounted on Cometto SPMTs.
The transportation process is carried out in two phases. In the first phase, blades are moved to an intermediate staging area using three-axle WingMAX vehicles. The combination of pendle-axles and a hydraulically liftable and lowerable gooseneck allows the trailers to navigate obstacles along the route.
In the second phase blades are transferred using the BladeMAX1000 to the final wind farm site. The BladeMAX1000 means that in challenging sections the rotor blades can be raised up to 60 degrees and rotated 360 degrees as required.
Handling stability is further enhanced, says Faymonville, by the patented stability control system (SCS) on the Cometto SPMTs where data from multiple sensors is collected and processed by a central control unit, providing precise and safe blade handling.
