Transport and heavy hauling of 6 petrochemical components

Client : Major manufacturer of custom metal equipment

Cargo : 6 pieces of petrochemical components with a total weight of 630 tons (1,400,000 lb)

Set-up time : 3 months
Duration of operations : 2 weeks

One of our most ambitious projects of 2022 was the transportation and handling of heavy and bulky petrochemical components for our client. 

In June 2022, a team from Groupe Bellemare Transport and Heavy Haul successfully completed this large-scale project, featuring a wide variety of equipment, dedicated employees and a shipping challenge.

About the client

Our client is a custom manufacturer of specialized metal equipment. It serves several industries, including the petrochemical sector.

• Quick Facts :
  
  • 23 years in the business
  • 130,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities
  • 150 employees
  • Over 3,000 projects completed

The business regularly works with the biggest players in the petrochemical industry, including Irving Oil (in this case), ExxonMobil, British Petroleum (BP), Shell, Suncor Energy and many others.

We are delighted to work with a company that is as passionate about its projects as we are!

What was the task?

Our first task was to transport 6 petrochemical components from the client’s facilities to the Port of Valleyfield on public roads.

Next, we had to load the equipment onto a barge (seaway) by roll-on (i.e., using multi-lines rather than a crane), then transport it to the port of Saint John in New Brunswick (at Irving Oil).

In short, the mandate covered the removal of the parts from the workshop, road transport to the port, loading onto the barge with all the necessary stowage and securing of the parts for sea transport.

Our mandate ended just as the barge arrived in Saint John harbour.

Planning the Project

Obviously, a project of this scale requires precise and rigorous planning! From operations to engineering.

Which equipment to use?

(220-ton reactor)

This was one of the first questions we asked ourselves. What equipment will enable our transport and handling team to get the cargo to its destination in perfect condition, and on time?

So we decided to use:

• Multiple multi-lines in single and double configuration
• A lift-and-slide system
• A barge and ramps
• Several stools and support beams
• A new lashing system with articulated beams adapted to each part

Barge Specifications

We used a McKeil barge with the following dimensions: 260 feet long by 72 feet wide.
It was also necessary to reinforce the barge’s floor. We used steel plates to distribute the load of the pieces, as they were too heavy to be supported by the barge under normal circumstances (167 t and 220 t).

The total weight of the parts loaded on the barge exceeded 630 tonnes (1,400,000 lb)!

Tie-Down System Specifications

We’re particularly proud of the tie-down system that was custom-designed for this project using Solidworks. It held the heavy and bulky parts in place during transport. Parts weighed between 40 and 220 tons!

Such a load requires precise calculations and top-quality lifting and sliding equipment.

Simulations were carried out on Solidworks to ensure that the system would perform its task on the high seas. Indeed, when a cargo of this size (and value) is transported by ship, there is no room for error!

A feat of engineering

Our engineering team used its expertise and many resources to plan every detail of the operation.

We worked directly with a marine surveyor and a marine engineer to validate our calculations and decisions. This is an important step for a shipping project of this scale.

Obviously, the maritime forces (wave and wind power) and risks (further from the coast) are much greater on the high seas than in the St. Lawrence Estuary.

It’s also worth mentioning that all this work would not have been possible without our experienced operators, who carried out their tasks brilliantly.

Project Progress: Challenges and Solutions

Once the planning is done and we’re on site, things never go exactly to plan! Our team has faced a number of challenges, one after the other. This adaptability and the solutions provided are what makes our team so strong.

First Challenge: From Two Multi-Lines … to One

Initially, the petrochemical components were to be transported from the Valleyfield plant to the Port of Valleyfield in convoys, 2 per day. On the first day, as the two parts were being loaded onto their respective multi-lines, a mechanical failure was noted on one of the multi-line.

It is important to mention that, at this time, we are waiting for the precise start time of the transport permit, as the regulations for transporting ultra-heavy loads are very strict.

Solution

With only one multi-line at our disposal, we had to transport the first piece, drop it off at the Port of Valleyfield, then hurry back to pick up the second. All this before the end of the hours allotted by the permit to transport on public roads.

With only 30 minutes left on the transport permit, the police gave us permission to transport the second part. We managed to get the second part to the port just in time to meet the deadline!

Second Challenge: Mother Nature joins in

Without warning, a violent storm cuts off power to a large part of the North Shore. Hydro-Québec mobilized all its teams to restore power to these areas. Unfortunately for us, this included the team that was to assist us by temporarily removing the power cables while the two largest pieces (35' high) were being transported.

Transport is no longer possible and is delayed by over a week. A permit extension is requested, and the order of operations is completely disrupted. Irving Oil tries to submit a special request to Hydro-Québec, but to no avail.

This delay also meant that the barge was at the Port of Valleyfield for longer than expected.

Solution

Our team had to work in cooperation with the port authorities to move the barge, each day, to an available quay to accommodate the scheduled ingress and egress of boats.

We managed to wait for everything to return to normal, including the necessary support from Hydro-Québec, without hampering any of the Port of Valleyfield’s operations

Third Challenge: A Manufacturing Error

As mentioned earlier, a custom lashing was designed and developed for each piece of the project. The drawings were sent to a manufacturing firm and a follow-up was carried out with them. Despite this, as you may have guessed, manufacturing errors crept into the process for some parts, rendering them completely unusable.

Solution

We contacted a representative of the manufacturing company to come and see the damage. An express repair then took place, but not without a few cold sweats as we had deadlines to meet. Finally, we received the repaired parts on time. More fear than harm!

Fourth Challenge: A Miscommunication

The largest part of the whole project was too big (over 35' high) for us to be able to take it straight out of the factory door onto the multi-lines. We had to find a solution fairly quickly to avoid slowing down the project.

Solution

Jack and slide operations were then required. The reactor was lowered using self-climbing hydraulic jacks onto our floor-mounted sliding system. The reactor could then be slid under the factory door, before being lifted with the same self-climbing cylinders so that the multi-line could take over.

Project Progress: a united team from start to finish

Despite delays caused by generally external factors, the team stayed together and was more efficient than ever!
Solutions were quickly found when problems arose. The necessary communications and accommodations with the various public authorities were clear and effective. These included the Port of Valleyfield, our customer and Irving Oil.

Project Progress: a happy ending for everyone

The first 4 pieces arrived at the Port of Valleyfield, then were progressively loaded onto the barge while awaiting the Hydro-Québec team.

At the same time, the largest part was lowered and slid out of the Valtech Fabrication plant. Good communication existed between the port and factory teams.

Finally, the last 2 pieces were transported to port and loaded in their turn. Stowage was finalized on all parts and validated by a marine surveyor.

Mutual support and teamwork were evident throughout the project.

Parts arrived at the customer’s premises undamaged and in perfect condition.

How Groupe Bellemare stood out in this project?

Our ability to adapt to changing factors, but above all our good preparation upstream of operations!

Although this was a one-off project for the majority of our team, it has given us additional expertise, and increased our customers’ confidence in our capabilities and the quality of our service.

Our team is already looking forward to another large-scale project for shipping, and to taking on new challenges.

Why did we get this mandate?

We have a loyal customer with whom we do business on a regular basis. Whatever challenges they throw at us, we always rise to them.

They put their trust in our expertise and contact us whenever they need to produce and deliver non-standard parts.

Let's work together!

You have a similar project coming up? Our transport and handling experts can help you from planning to completion.

Contact us for an initial appointment. We’ll discuss all the details. See you soon!