Bertling Logistics Completes Challenging Power Plant Move

Project forwarder Bertling Logistics has successfully transported a gas turbine and generator from Sweden to a thermal power plant in Bonn, Germany.

The 114-tonne turbine and 74-tonne generator were first shipped from Sweden’s Port of Norrkoping to Rotterdam, a crossing that took four days, Enrico Lux, project manager at Bertling, told Breakbulk.

Another four days were required to transport the pieces along the Rhine to the river port at Bonn.

A 57-metre-long vessel known in Germany as a “Nussschale”, with a payload capacity of some 680 tonnes, was selected for this stage of the move to counter the Rhine’s low water levels.

From Bonn, the units were transported at night along an eight-kilometre stretch of road using hydraulic modular trailers. At the plant, the turbine and generator were installed onto foundations using self-propelled modular transporters, or SPMTs.

On the last leg of the journey, the project team had to contend with old and weak infrastructure in Bonn, overhead tram lines that had to be raised and very limited space to manoeuvre the cargo in the turbine hall.

Each component took a full day to install, Lux said.

“All transport steps were carefully planned, organized and supervised by the Bertling offices in Gothenburg and Neuss,” the company said.

Bertling Logistics will be exhibiting at Breakbulk Americas 2022, taking place on 27-29 September at the George R. Brown Convention Centre in Houston, Texas. To reserve your tickets to the conference, click here.

John Hark, Bertling’s regional director for North America, recently sat down with Breakbulk’s Leslie Meredith to talk about the importance of the Jerry Nagel Education Day, now in its 12th conference year.

Check out our preview video below.

John will also be moderating the Breakbulk Americas 2022 panel session, “Talent Gap and Future of Work”, taking place on the main stage on 29 September from 12:50pm-1:30pm.