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Mammoet, a leader in engineered heavy lifting and large object transportation, has safely delivered heavy electrical equipment for a 1.5GW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant in landlocked Uzbekistan.
The new 1.5GW (CCGT) power plant is being developed by Saudi-based ACWA Power as part of the Uzbekistan government’s plan to increase the efficiency and capacity of electricity production while boosting economic growth and reducing environmental impact.
Mammoet’s approach is unique. Clients utilize Mammoet’s combination of specialized equipment and engineering and logistics expertise to overcome obstacles and bottlenecks.
End-to-End Logistics Solutions
The biggest benefit is the end-to-end logistics solution provided by one company without having to coordinate multiple suppliers. This improves overall efficiency and consistency of delivery schedules, reduces risk and enhances safety.
When Globalink Logistics approached Mammoet to assist in transporting heavy loads to build a new power plant in the city of Shirin, Uzbekistan, it certainly wasn’t a case of “we cross the bridge when we get there” when it comes to engineering challenges.
Uzbekistan has no access to sea, so Caspian Sea ports are usually chosen to receive any out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo. For this project, Mammoet chose the port of Bautino in Kazakhstan. The destination of this shipment is the city of Shirin in Uzbekistan, which means that once it arrives at the Caspian Sea port, it will face a road trip of 2,200 kilometers.
Precise planning from port to factory
A team of engineers, led by Mammoet Operations Manager Marek Lysko, set out to plan the best way to move the OOG components (ranging from 130 to 517 tons) from the port to the factory.
It was decided that the port of Bautino, located on the Caspian coast of Kazakhstan, would be the best port to receive the cargo. Mammoth has been operating in the Caspian region since 2004.
Mammoet has been well established in this particular port since 2018, with access to crawler cranes, conventional and SPMT trailers, and a stockyard with a maximum allowable ground capacity of 30 t/m². The port is also connected to important shipping corridors, which makes the movement of heavy goods through the region more efficient.
oversized cargo
“We call it Mammoet Port because it is fully operated by us,” said Ali Yoldashov, Mammoet’s Caspian region manager. “Bautino is a seaport with ample draft, unlike other ports on the Caspian Sea. The ground pressure of the port is strong enough to handle oversized cargo with cranes outstretched. It also gives us the possibility of customs clearance, as well as almost unlimited storage space. We’re sure that’s the only solution.”
Most OOG items will be loaded directly from the vessel onto a trailer and shipped directly from the port to the site. However, this is not possible for the five heaviest items, especially the 517t gas turbine.
Yoldashov explains why: “Gas turbines can be transported on a rigid set of conventional trailers with a large number of axles, but due to the load capacity of most existing bridges in Uzbekistan, load distribution calculations come into discussion. As everyone understands, this solution The solution is not suitable for transporting this heavy equipment on a bridge. What we actually do is distribute the weight by hanging the cargo between 2 separate trailers at the front and rear.”
Even with this solution and 480 tires distributing the load, there are still some bridges that cannot handle the extreme axle loads.
build challenge
The team came up with a solution by adding an additional 8 axles (64 tires) directly under the suspended cargo to cross these critical bridges. Adding and removing extra axles was an engineering and operational challenge, but it proved to be the only way to protect the team, equipment, cargo and infrastructure. This required a piece of specialized mammoth equipment: the AL600 Beam Frame.
Designed to transport next-generation power equipment weighing over 500t; the AL600 is globally unique in terms of design and capacity. It can transport heavy loads to remote areas with limited roads. These constraints could be height, low bridges, or in this case axle loads – so routes or national legislation require heavier loads to be spread over more axles.
The AL600 sits on two separate trailers pulled by the prime mover and its modular design allows up to 2 sets of 20 axles to carry specific weights which are distributed using a load spreader system.
high strength steel
“The AL600 is designed and manufactured using high-strength steel to keep its own weight as low as possible,” Lysko explains. “It has a really good ratio of dead weight to cargo capacity. It means it’s light but flexible and strong. That’s an important factor for bridges in Uzbekistan because they have really low tolerance for axle loads.”
Since the project site could not accommodate a convoy of AL600s exceeding 100 meters in length, the cargo was transferred to Mammoth Self-Propelled Modular Trailers (SPMTs). — trade arab news agency
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