DSV, with its partner Sarens, was responsible for the transport of 1,700 individual cargoes including a 850-tonne wash tower, for the largest petrochemical investment project in Europe in the last 20 years.
As part of DSV’s submission to the Heavy Lift Awards 2024 for the Project of the Year category, the transport and logistics company highlighted the logistical records it set in Poland.
DSV transported 1,700 individual cargoes on behalf of a consortium of Hyundai Engineering and Tecnicas Reunidas, including roughly 700 oversize units and 20 super-size cargoes.
The cargoes are part of the largest petrochemical investment project in Europe in the last 20 years. DSV, together with its partner Sarens, was responsible for the transport of the cargo from the takeover point in the seaport of Gdańsk to the delivery to the destination point in Płock.
The project was completed in a remarkably short time, a year earlier than expected. A feat all the more impressive given that the operator’s lease at its selected wharf at the port of Gdańsk was revoked due to Poland’s energy crisis at the time.
Delaying arrival of the transport vessels with cargoes onboard was not a feasible option, so instead DSV rented another section of the port’s quay. However, this area had no relevant infrastructure.
DSV procured unloading equipment, port workers, and used azobe wood mats to increase the load-bearing capacity of the ground beneath specialist cranes that were also leased by DSV for the project. This allowed for safe unloading of 55,000 tonnes of cargo from more than 20 vessels at the temporary terminal.
DSV also orchestrated the overland transport of the cargoes to Płock, which required several months of preparatory work. This included the restructuring of 23 power lines; the reinforcement civil structures such as bridges; the reconstruction of five roundabouts; the reorganisation of road signs; along with the felling of 800 trees. These adjustments allowed cargoes measuring 4.5 m x 5 m x 40 m to be moved along the route.
The Vistula – which is the last major unregulated inland waterway in Europe – was used as the main transport channel for supersized cargoes. Due to its peculiarities, including short periods of navigability and the limited availability of tugboats, barges and experienced captains, the DSV team was forced to take a non-standard approach.
Two barges were combined and strengthened, under the supervision of the relevant entities and classification authorities, into a single unit capable of handling the largest cargoes (850 tonnes).
Examples of challenges posed by the waterway include a 2 cm clearance between the top edge of the unit and a bridge structure, and the need to repair and reimagine a power supply system to one of the river locks so that its gates could be operated.
Throughout the project, DSV completed 77 river transports with over 17 barges deployed at one time.
The delivery point at the river port in Płock also required major redevelopment. The site was levelled and reinforced to allow 650-tonne and 1,200-tonne class cranes from Terex to be stationed there. Moreover, a 10,000 sq m manoeuvring and storage yard was built.
DSV used crawler cranes and ro-ro operations to unload the cargoes. When the project was completed, both the road and the river wharf were restored to their original states.
The final 8 km route to site over public roads was the last challenge to overcome. A set of Sarens’ 72-axle parallel SPMT platforms was used to move the heaviest items. A manoeuvring area was established along the route, which required the reconstruction of a roundabout and the strengthening of ground above a gas pipeline.
During this project, DSV handled an 850-tonne wash tower (94 m x 8 m x 7 m); two gas cooler reactors (weighing 600 tonnes each); an 89 m-long purification column; a 9.6 m wide reactor steam drum; and an 8.1 m-high gas dryer. The final cargoes were delivered in March 2024.
