Local Teams Oversee Delivery from China to France via Port of Antwerp
deugro Germany has teamed up with its opposite numbers in China, Belgium and France to successfully deliver two mammoth drum sections for the Golbey PM1 pulp and paper project in France.
The move for client Voith Paper began in China, where the 195-ton components were loaded at the Port of Shanghai onto dship’s MV Annie and shipped on a last-in/first-out basis to the Port of Antwerp. In Belgium, the cargo was discharged onto the port’s quay to allow deugro’s local team to assemble and mount a cable guiding system onto the 32-meter-long units before loading aboard a river vessel.
The drums were then carried by inland waterway to the river port of Frouard in northeast France. From there, they were taken overland by various trailer configurations to the job site at Golbey, a journey of some 100 kilometers.
Feasibility studies began two-and-a-half years before the move, with route surveys, turning simulations and swept path analysis carried out by deugro’s sister company dteq Transport Engineering Solutions alongside local partners.
According to Ambra Gotsch, project coordinator at deugro Germany, the most challenging section of the move was crossing the French town of Lunéville, where project teams had to contend with roundabouts, tight turns and other obstacles.
“To allow for the safe navigation through the extremely sharp turns in Lunéville, we arranged the transfer from conventional THP trailers to self-propelled modular trailers using a jacking/stooling operation,” Gotsch said. “After crossing the most critical turns in the city, the cargo was transferred back onto the THP trailers for the remaining on-carriage.”
Ulf Langner, project manager operations at deugro Germany, said the project faced a further challenge when passing by a railway bridge near the village of Méhoncourt.
“Six additional axle lines had to be mounted to the modular trailer to stay within the allowable bridge capacity determined by the road authorities, then dismantled after passing the bridge,” Langner said.
Check out deugro’s video of the Golbey PM1 move:
TOP PHOTO: Cargo safely delivered to the job site in Golbey, France. CREDIT: deugro
SECOND PHOTO: Arrival in the French town of Lunéville. CREDIT: deugro
