February -10- Durban-based project cargo forwarder Access Freight Projects (AFP) has been involved in the delivery of a cement plant ex Mumbai to Tanga, Tanzania on behalf of a Kenyan mining and cement manufacturer.
The plant which is capable of delivering 3,500 tonnes of cement per day (TPD) was destined for the company's lime plant near the port of Tanga, north of Dar es Salaam.
Access had previously delivered a 1,000 TPD cement plant to Ndola, Zambia in 2006 and two further major materials bulk handling projects in Zambia in 2007.
The shipment comprised of 1,457 tonnes and 5,148 cu. M of breakbulk cargo and some 300 teu. The largest single pieces of cargo were mill shells, each 15.5m long and 4.5m diameter, weighing 105 tonnes.
A lack of suitable lifting capacity to unload ocean-going heavy lift ships at the port of Tanga meant the shipments were loaded onto barges at Mombasa before movement to Tanga. A route survey revealed that discharge in Mombasa and onward delivery by road to Tanga would not be possible because of weight limitations of bridges on that route. The decision was made to sail the breakbulk ship to Mombasa to discharge the cargo midstream onto an ocean-going barge which was pre-loaded with a crawler crane and multi-axle lowbeds and temporary propping stools for the heaviest cargo. The containers were loaded onto barges at Dar es Salaam prior to delivery to Tanga.
AFP is a specialist division of the Access Group which deals exclusively with project cargo and is a member of The Global Projects Logistics Network (GPLN).
