One of Heaviest Heavy Loads Handled in Germany
deugro shipped three reactors for Bayernoil Raffineriegesellschaft mbH in Neustadt, Germany. The shipments encompassed reactors weighing up to 663 tonnes, one of the heaviest heavy loads that has ever been transported in Germany.
“With a total volume of 3.2 million cubic meters and a total weight of 1,603 tonnes, enormous time pressure for both phases, and one of the reactors being the heaviest heavy loads ever transported in Germany, this project was very complex and challenging, especially due to Covid-19 restrictions,” said Marco Lauwrier, manager projects, deugro Netherlands.
In the first phase of this project in July 2020, the first (temporary) reactor weighed 343 tonnes and was about 25.7 long, 5.2 meters wide and 4.3 meters high, and was shipped from Koper, Slovenia to Kelheim, Germany. deugro Netherlands arranged for loading the reactor, the journey from the Port of Koper, Slovenia, to the Port of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and the onward voyage on a barge from Rotterdam to the Port of Kelheim, Germany, requiring a 24/7 sailing period.
In the second project phase in May 2021, the two further reactors were transported to Kelheim, including a 663-tonne hydrocracking reactor measuring 32.8 meters long 6.6 meters wide and tall, as well as a 597.6-tonne hydrotreating reactor measuring 29.7 meters by 6.4 meters by 6.3 meters. The hydrocracking reactor was loaded in Ortona, Italy, and the hydrotreating reactor was loaded in Porto Marghera, Italy. The complete shipment took a sea voyage route from Porto Maghera to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Upon arrival in Rotterdam, both reactors were directly discharged onto a coupling barge for the onward barge shipment to Kelheim, Germany. Due to the time-critical nature of the shipment, a 24/7 sailing program was required, necessitating three skippers to be present on the barge all the time to ensure safe round-the-clock navigation of the cargo. The dedicated sailing ensured the schedule was achieved and the barge arrived safely and on time in Kelheim, completing a challenging and successful complex project shipment.
“Surveyors from deugro and dteq were present at the loading, transshipment and discharging ports,” Lauwrier added.
