Record breaking transport solution
Vanguard have recently completed the record breaking transportation of the longest wind blades ever moved in Africa. All components for the first site have now been successfully transported and received, with two further project sites still in progress.
Vanguard demonstrated their engineering capabilities by designing a transport solution suitable for the longest wind turbine blades in Africa. The blades, measuring 82.5m long, required a transport arrangement with a total length of 95m which utilised Vanguards six new Rotor Blade Transport System (RBTS) trailers, from TII Scheuerle, to transport the wind farm components approximately 450km from Coega Port to site. This would be the first time this equipment had been used outside of Europe and would become the longest distance the equipment had been used to transport blades.
This project site was a 140MW onshore wind energy facility situated in Northern Cape, South Africa and consisted of 26 turbines, each consisting of 7 abnormal loads and a number of smaller loads that transported various turbine ancillaries.
In addition to the high number of loads and the extensive route distance, the scale of the project was greatly multiplied by the large number of challenges that were required to overcome in order to safely and successfully deliver the wind farm components to site. These included:
- The design layout at Coega Port was critical within the engineering works. Due to the number of components arriving at the port, including 234 of the longest blades to be offloaded in South Africa, it was essential that the cargo was stored to allow for access and manoeuvrability at all times. This would enable the transport operation of two convoys per week, to run smoothly.
- In total the project entailed 9 vessel discharges and the port handling works for all cargo over a period of 15 months.
- Extensive engineering works were also carried out on the 450km route. Vanguard completed route surveys and swept path analysis to understand the pinch points along the route including street furniture and telecom lines within the towns that the cargo would need to pass through. As well as bridges that need to be navigated with the highest level of precision and new roads that had to be built to allow access for the convoys.
- The RBTS dollie system was selected as it allowed Vanguard to overcome the low bridge challenges along the route with great success, whereas other trailer arrangements would have been unable to navigate these restrictions while transporting the blades, without damaging the cargo or the surroundings.
- An additional truck was required for the moves to successfully overcome steep gradients and difficult terrain along the route.
- The blades had to travel along the Olifantskop mountain pass enroute to site and each convoy of blades required the closure of the highway for over one hour.
- Using the RBTS dollie system enabled Vanguard to reduce the cutting and destruction of the natural vegetation along the route, thereby reducing environmental impacts of the project.
- The majority of main loads required police escorts across two provinces which required substantial administrative and logistical coordination.
- Various transport embargoes throughout South Africa.
- Adverse weather conditions across different regions, including floods and snow.
- Arriving at site the conditions required two 8×8 all-drive trucks working in tandem to negotiate the difficult gradients and terrain, in order to deliver the loads to the relevant hardstands.
- The generator loads (each weighing 130ton) were transported on 12-axles to site, to the laydown area and then transloading onto a 7-axle trailers as the 12-axles were too heavy for onsite transportation.
Despite the challenges the project faced, a team of approximately 40 highly skilled and professional Vanguard staff including drivers, operators, supervisors, pilots/escorts, project managers, engineers, SHQE, administrators and senior management worked extensively to overcome these obstacles to safely and successfully deliver the project on time and in advance of our clients schedule.
Vanguard also ensured that it had consistently sought to benefit the local community in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, through the employment and sub-contracting of individuals from the local community to support our operational activities throughout the duration of the project.
“Understanding the scale of the challenges faced within this first project, have meant the successful deliveries to site have been greatly received by our client. With further scopes of work having been agreed with orders placed for a continuation of Vanguards services”.
“This project has been months in the planning across all areas of the business and it’s been a great achievement to have reached a significant milestone, where all the components have been successfully delivered to the first site. The team have worked tirelessly and approached each obstacle with positivity and the enthusiasm to get the project delivered in the right way.”, Patrick Valentin, Project Manager at Vanguard.