JSA Begins Shipping Modules for Iraq Refinery Upgrade

The Jumbo-SAL-Alliance, or JSA, has begun transporting industrial components for the Basra Refinery Upgrade Project, or BRUP, in southern Iraq.

The series of shipments carried out for constructor Japanese Gasoline Company, which kicked off with the heavy-lift vessel Jumbo Javelin loading 19 units at Dahej port in India, is one of the largest projects ever undertaken by JSA, the group said.

The alliance expects to transport a total of 450,000 freight tonnes of cargo from locations in India, China, Thailand and Korea, including 80 modules from the Morimatsu plant in Nantong, China. The scope of the work will also include delivery of 31 pieces including a regenerator, vacuum columns, a fractionator and seven, 800-tonne bullet tanks, each measuring 82 metres in length.

The BRUP, located adjacent to the current Basra refinery, aims to boost processing capacity from 210,000 to 280,000 barrels per day, or b/d. Refinery owner South Refineries Company, part of Iraq’s Oil Ministry, awarded JGC an EPC contract in 2020 to build a number of primary processing plants, including a fluid catalytic cracking unit, a vacuum distillation unit and a diesel desulfurization unit.

The project, aimed at reducing dependence on imported fuels, is slated for completion in 2025, according to the Japanese contractor.

For JSA, planning for the project began in 2019 with the provision of engineering support. This included the design of four different loading spread mats covering the various vessel types to be deployed, cargo footprint and location of the cargo on the vessel.

Preparations also covered the potential risks of working in an hostile environment.

“In every project that we undertake we consider not only the costs of transportation, but also the total project cost,” said Laurens Govers, commercial manager at JSA.

“With this project, our early involvement played a considerable role in this. We were able to work along with the client in tweaking the sailing schedule and suitable vessel rotations to match the vessels and maximise efficiency.”

Two heavy-lift vessels have been assigned to the project: Jumbo Kinetic, equipped with two, 1,500-tonne cranes, and SAL Heavy Lift’s MV Svenja, with its two 1,000-tonne cranes.

The vessels, which will undertake seven voyages each, are compact enough to access the restricted Morimatsu plant, where much of the cargo will be loaded.

Other vessels selected from JSA’s fleet will carry out an additional five voyages, the group said.

“Having the two dedicated vessels for the duration of this phase gives us visibility, ensuring that we can remain on schedule,” said Kiharu Yamashita, JGC’s project logistics manager for the BRUP. “Jumbo-SAL-Alliance, who can accommodate the size and capability required for this project, is indispensable for the successful delivery of the project to our client.

The Jumbo-SAL-Alliance, launched in April 2021, boasts 30 dedicated project cargo vessels with lifting capacities of up to 3,000 tonnes, making it the world’s largest fleet in the 800-plus-tonne sector.

The fleet includes three DP2 vessels, two range-extending fly-jibs ad eleven ice-class vessels.

The Jumbo-SAL-Alliance is an exhibitor at Breakbulk Europe 2023.