J M Baxi Sets Heavy-Haul Record for IOCL Panipat

By Malcolm Ramsay

What does it take to transport two 1,005-ton reactors and make Indian heavy-haul history? Sameer Parikh takes you inside J M Baxi Heavy’s record-breaking move.

From Issue 4, 2025 of Breakbulk Magazine.

(5-minute read)

Over the last few years, India’s largest refiner, Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), has been leading one of the country’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, expanding capacity at its giant Panipat Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Haryana.

A critical component of this project was the transport of several outsized units for the expansion, most notably the delivery of two massive 1,005- ton hydrodesulfurization reactors (HDS reactors). This movement, engineered by J M Baxi Heavy, has set a national record as India’s heaviest and longest heavy-haul operation, requiring meticulous coordination across multiple modes of transport.

“It stands as a national benchmark in engineering-led multimodal logistics, demonstrating precision planning, technical innovation and operational excellence by J M Baxi Heavy,” Sameer Parikh, president and chief business officer at J M Baxi Heavy, tells Breakbulk.

To execute this mammoth move, equipment manufacturer Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Heavy Engineering, based in Baroda, contracted J M Baxi Heavy to deliver a comprehensive logistics plan to ensure every engineering, transportation and loadout milestone was completed safely and reliably.

Alongside the HDS reactors, which measured 48 meters in length, 8.5 meters in width and 7.5 meters in height, two additional over dimensional cargo (ODC) units weighing 650 tonnes and 450 tonnes respectively were also transported.

“The total transport weight, including hydraulic axle arrangements, amounted to 1,250 tonnes per reactor,” Parikh adds. “The project spanned 390 nautical miles by sea and 1,312-kilometers overland, all delivered ahead of schedule.”

Located in Panipat, Haryana, the refinery is one of the largest integrated petrochemical complexes in South Asia. It plays a vital role in meeting the petroleum product demands of northern India and is currently undergoing major expansion to increase capacity from 15 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) to 25 MMTPA.

The HDS reactors were central to the expansion, key to the hydrodesulfurization process that removes sulfur from crude oil, enabling the production of ultra-low sulfur diesel and cleaner fuels.

Demanding Journey

The logistics operation was split into two major phases. The first involved the movement of six heavy-lift components, totaling 3,593 tonnes from L&T’s Hazira facility in southeastern Gujarat to Kandla Port, covering 390 nautical miles at sea. The second phase involved a 1,312-kilometer overland journey of four units weighing a combined 3,102 tonnes from Kandla to IOCL’s Panipat site.

The first road convoy, weighing 640 tonnes, was originally projected to take 180 days but extended to 305 days, including a 90-day wait at Kandla. In contrast, the second convoy, weighing 1,000 tonnes, was delivered in 227 days, ahead of its 240-day estimate.

The route spanned Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana, and was dotted with logistical and civil engineering challenges, from electrified railway crossings to canal and major bridge bypasses, underpasses and low-clearance infrastructure. Each demanded tailored solutions in the planning and execution phases.

Challenging Weather

The sea leg journey began at L&T’s A.M. Naik Heavy Engineering Complex at Hazira, where the two 1,005-tonne reactors were rolled onto 250-class barges using hydraulic axles via a RoRo jetty. A spokesperson for L&T notes that the entire loadout was conducted under a pre-approved mooring and stability plan using the port’s existing infrastructure.

“L&T Heavy Engineering and Modular Fabrication Facility (Hazira) stood by us, rain or shine!” said K.V. Raghavan, supply chain leader at L&T. “Their unwavering support was instrumental in ensuring timely equipment deliveries, even in challenging weather conditions.”

The L&T Hazira campus, near Surat, spans over 34,500 square meters and includes manufacturing facilities for defense, green hydrogen and modular fabrication, as well as a dedicated load-out quay on the banks of the river Tapi, making it well-placed to handle such high-stakes logistics.

At Kandla Port, J M Baxi Heavy faced a major challenge due to the jetty’s limited ground bearing capacity of three tonnes per square meter. To overcome this, an integrated load-spreading system using a Bailey bridge was deployed as a temporary load transfer platform. Steel packing and wooden dunnage were used across the barge and jetty to evenly distribute loads.

“The peak axle load was managed at 5.2 tonnes per square meter, safely distributed and brought under the jetty capacity,” Parikh explains. “The pre-tested Bailey bridge played a critical role in protecting port infrastructure during the roll-off.”

Circumventing Obstacles

From Kandla Port, the next phase of the journey involved an arduous 1,312-kilometer land transport operation, navigating a range of physical, infrastructural and regulatory challenges.

To prepare, J M Baxi Heavy’s engineering team conducted structural analysis of more than 70 bridges and culverts along the route. Based on this assessment, 22 custom bypasses had to be designed and constructed to avoid structurally weak infrastructure or geographically constrained passages.

These diversions were engineered to navigate around major rivers such as the Sang, Dudhwa and Luni, as well as canals, and included bypasses of narrow culverts and underpasses. The bypasses ranged between 300 meters and 1.2 kilometers in length and required the construction of compacted earth embankments with modular steel bridge spans rated for loads exceeding 1,200 tonnes.

“These solutions were tailored to suit local terrain, with compacted earth ramps and slope stabilization measures ensuring the structural integrity of each diversion,” said Parikh.

Once en route, the convoy navigated through 13 toll plazas, including key points at Samakhiyali, Pachpadra and Narwana. In six instances, the convoy’s 8.5-meter width exceeded the road infrastructure’s capacity, necessitating the dismantling or bypassing of toll canopies and booths to enable safe passage.

Regulatory Coordination

The route crossed 16 railway crossings, of which 10 crossings required temporary closures coordinated with Indian Railways, and six low-clearance underpasses necessitated full rerouting of the convoy. In addition, the convoy encountered 18 high-tension electrical lines.

J M Baxi Heavy coordinated with state electricity distribution companies to execute scheduled shutdowns for safe passage. In specific stretches, crane-assisted lifting of live wires was used to provide temporary vertical clearance.

“J M Baxi Heavy worked in tandem with agencies such as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Indian Railways and state electricity boards,” Parikh explained. “This included advance permissions, traffic clearances and temporary dismantling of infrastructure, executed without compromising safety or public convenience.”

In high-traffic zones, convoy movement was restricted to night hours, ensuring minimum disruptions. These nocturnal shifts were executed under approved traffic management protocols, with advance local notification and traffic marshals deployed at critical openings.

After over a year of planning and phased execution, the massive cargoes arrived safely at the IOCL Panipat Refinery site. But Baxi’s work wasn’t yet finished: the final leg involved maneuvering through narrow internal corridors and access points within the refinery.

The final placement of the 1,005-tonne HDS reactors and accompanying ODCs was carried out using under-hook lifting operations, with a precision tolerance of ±25 millimeters to ensure alignment with the site’s expansion infrastructure.

New Benchmark

In total, the inland phase involved nine electrified railway crossings, 22 canal bridges requiring civil work or bypass, 24 major bridge bypasses, seven underpasses and 11 railway overbridge bypasses. All of this was achieved across three states, two transport modes and in record time, despite terrain, weather and infrastructure constraints.

Investment from IOCL has fueled substantial project cargo activity in recent years, as the country’s largest commercial enterprise ramps up development of India’s energy infrastructure. In addition to the landmark Panipat Refinery expansion, major works are underway at IOCL’s Gujarat and Barauni sites.

At Gujarat, refining capacity is being raised from 13.7 MMTPA to 18 MMTPA through a major revamp and installation of new units and supporting infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Barauni Refinery is expanding from 6 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA, part of a wider investment that includes a city gas distribution network to bring cleaner energy access across Bihar.

With cargo delivery now complete at Panipat, IOCL expects construction across all three sites to be finalized by the end of 2026.

In May this year, L&T announced that it had secured a contract from IOCL to build a green hydrogen plant at the Panipat refinery. The proposed facility will feature capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year and is expected to play a crucial role in India’s transition to cleaner energy sources.

Given the successful completion of the recent heavy haul project and the ongoing work at the refinery, J M Baxi Heavy may find itself back at Panipat before too long.

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