Planning and precision solved project cargo conundrum

The project cargo consisted of components for 15 gigantic wind turbines. A total of 12,000 tonnes of cargo needed to be unloaded and stored at the port. The cargo was split between four vessels, the first of which arrived in January this year. However, preparations began several months before that. “It required very careful planning and risk assessment. We had to ensure that we had the right machines, the right equipment and the right expertise. This included everything from renting additional cranes and special trailers to ensuring that we had personnel with fall-protection training and climbing equipment,” says Tommy.

Working at height

The first vessel was loaded with 45 rotor blades, each 85 metres long and weighing 30 tonnes. “The rotors were stacked five high, so our personnel had to climb 20 metres to release the upper rotors and attach them for lifting,” explains Adam Flodstam, Logistics Team Leader at the Sundsvall terminal. The rotor blades were lifted by two cranes in tandem and loaded onto specially adapted trailers to be transported a few hundred metres to the storage area. “Aside from being large, we had to take into account that the blades are wind-sensitive during both lifting and storage,” Adam notes.

Another challenge was that metre-precision was required if the cranes were to be able to unload all of the rotors. “We were dealing with really small margins and it required planning down to the smallest detail to reach them, both in the placement of the vessel and the cranes. One of the rented cranes took several hours to move, so it was important to get it right first time,” says Adam.

Planning storage

The second vessel was carrying a shipment of tower components for the wind turbines. While these were not as large, they were extremely heavy. “They weighed between 55 and 100 tonnes, so this also required careful preparation so that we could handle them safely,” says Adam.

Vessels three and four were carrying drivetrains and more tower components. By April, everything was on site. “One of the greatest challenges was planning how to place the various components in the storage space. Some parts belonged together in series, so we also needed to consider the order in which they were to be delivered when the time came to construct the wind turbines,” explains Tommy.

A complicated puzzle

With so many large and heavy components, this was a complicated puzzle. It was not made any easier by the fact that deliveries to site began while the last vessel was being unloaded. “This required joint planning, so that we didn’t get in each other’s way,” Tommy notes. Given the size of the cargoes, delivering the components to site also demanded some special adaptions. The length of the rotor blades meant that they could not be driven out of the port on the usual route; instead, they had to be transported via the adjacent logistics park. “It’s a big advantage that we have alternative routes,” says Tommy.

Unlikely changes in the weather

The project was a great success with no delays. “We never found ourselves without the right machines or personal with the right expertise; we could always get on with the job. The biggest lesson was that good communication and coordination are the foundation of everything in this kind of project. Everyone needs to know exactly what they must do and what is required to be able to perform the work safely,” says Adam.

Another lesson learned is that it is impossible to plan down to the smallest detail, as unforeseen events can always happen. “We had highly unlikely changes in weather that posed real challenges. We saw it all, from snowstorms to horizontal rain. But the worst thing was when the entire storage area turned into an ice rink and we discovered that tower components weighing almost 100 tonnes were beginning to move,” says Tommy. This problem was resolved by two measures: firstly putting down rubber mats, and then anchoring the components in the ground. “It all sorted itself out, but we couldn’t have predicted that something like that would happen. It’s extremely unusual for it to become that icy,” says Tommy.

Large storage areas

For SCA Logistics, the existence of large logistics areas in the container port was a prerequisite for being able to take on the wind turbine project, given that the components needed to be stored for several months before being shipped on. “We had 30,000 square metres available for this project, and we needed the entire area,” says Adam.

In addition to the 30,000 square-metre storage area, the container port also has a 24,000 square-metre container park, and the storage areas will eventually be even larger. SCA Logistics has built embankments around 60,000 square metres of the port area, which will gradually be filled in to create additional storage capacity.

Another advantage is that the quay now has a draught of 15 metres, making it the deepest on the Bothnian Sea. The quay is also very long and can accommodate vessels up to 250 metres in length. “We are now equipped to offer even more types of logistic solutions. Project cargoes and cargo storage are areas in which we now have entirely new opportunities, and we are looking forward to future major projects,” says Tommy.

Text: Kerstin Olofsson
Photo: Håkan Sjödin