UK-based charter broker Air Charter Service (ACS) arranged the delivery of two 48-tonne aftercoolers from Italy for an offshore oil platform under construction in Indonesia.
The aftercoolers needed to be transported from Milan, Italy, to Batam in Indonesia.
“The extreme weight of the cargo led us to recommend using an Antonov AN-124 and flying directly into Singapore Changi Airport, due to the superior cargo handling facilities and the need for external cranes to offload the cargo,” said Jason Bird, cargo director of ACS Singapore.
Bird noted the importance of working closely with an engineering company and the airline in the months leading up to the charter, to create a cradle which could support the units during the loading process.
“Our European team had previous experience of coordinating road permits and escort vehicles for outsize loads, so helped facilitate the movement of the cargo to Milan Airport, which we did ahead of the day of the flight and stored in a warehouse overnight,” Bird added.
Once offloaded in Singapore, the cargo was stored overnight. ACS arranged for its cranes to be at the airport so that the pieces could be loaded onto a ship, before setting sail to its final destination of Batam.
Earlier this month, Antonov Airlines transported 95 tonnes of oil and gas equipment, including cable reels and pipes, from Norway to Singapore.
