April 15 - Omega Morgan has transported three 158-tonne heat exchangers used in the water purification process of in situ oil recovery from Portland, Oregon to Fort McMurray in Canada.
The heat exchangers, which were manufactured in Portland, were barged down the Columbia River to the Port of Umatilla, where the first exchanger was loaded onto Omega Morgan's own high-frame, dual-lane trailer, known as "Sweet Pea".
The loaded trailer along with one puller vehicle known as "Mighty Matt" and two push trucks using 1,500 combined horsepower began the journey through northeast Oregon, southern Idaho and then north through western Montana.
The subsequent two loads were transported in a similar way along the same route to Canada. The truck and trailer combination carrying each heavy cargo had the total dimensions of 115.8 m x 6.7 m x 5.8 m, and each trailer rolled on 128 tyres.
Project manager, Erik Zander, said that the main challenge with this specific move was the winter weather conditions and the delays caused by snow and ice. Despite this, the transport was successful: "All three loads made it safely to their final destination with minimal impact on the public and no damage to the infrastructure or environment along the route," he added.
These were not the first loads of their kind for Omega Morgan, which transported four similar cargoes for the same customer in 2013 over a different route through Idaho.
"We see tremendous room for growth within the energy industry, particularly in Canada, said the company's president and ceo, John McCalla.
Omega Morgan continues to grow its business, said the company, with a focus on the energy, technology and aerospace industries.
