October 20 - Heavy lift shipping line Intermarine is working with project freight forwarder Breakbulk Transportation on the shipment of six locomotives, each weighing 220 tonnes, from Texas to Gabon.
The locomotives were manufactured by Railserve, the largest provider of in-plant rail switching and associated services - operating in more than 70 locations in the USA, and railed to Houston from the company's site in Longview, Texas.
In Houston, Breakbulk Transportation was responsible for cleaning, packing, and prepping before Intermarine loaded each of them onto its ship, Ocean Grand for the sailing to Gabon.
"With its box holds and 450-tonne cranes, Ocean Grand is an ideal vessel for the safe handling and carriage of these state-of-the-art locomotives." said James Jackson, vice president, Africa services for Intermarine.
The LEAF locomotives were purchased by Société d'Exploitation du Transgabonais (SETRAG), the state railway of Gabon, as part of a long-term modernisation of the country's freight rail operations.
"This is Railserve's first delivery of LEAF locomotives to a destination outside North America," said LEAF program manager TJ Mahoney. "In addition to its requirement for sustainable operations, SETRAG was looking to modernise its locomotive fleet and have readily available parts for future maintenance needs."
