Impressive columns for Siberian polyolephin complex
A set of giant columns is lying in the Zuidnatie terminal in the Port of Antwerp, ready for shipping to Tobolsk, Western Siberia. These are parts for anethylene plant of polyolephin complex Zapsibneftekhim being built by SIBUR, the largest petrochemical company in Russia. Thanks to good collaboration, planning, infrastructure and know-how the impressive plant components will reach their destination in farthest Siberia in good time, the Port Authority said in a press release.
Preference for Antwerp
Under the name of "Zapsibneftekhim" a total of 167 components (columns, heat exchangers, furnaces, components of the reactor vessel and steam drums, etc.) have been delivered by Hansa Heavy Lift GMBH from China and South Korea. The forwarding company Deugro has been appointed by Linde Engineering and Sibur to coordinate the project. Deugro in turn opted for Antwerp to consolidate the various components, for two good reasons: the short transit time from Antwerp to Sabetta (Russia), and the expertise and facilities offered by the Antwerp- based freight handler Zuidnatie for handling and storing these colossal components.
“Port of Antwerp is perfectly equipped for handling and consolidation of project cargoes further to be transported via Northern Sea Route to Russian Arctic port Sabetta. The exceptional location of Antwerp allows to reduce risks of transportation delays and make precise planning for critical cargo delivery to Zapsibneftekhim construction site in Tobolsk,” says Vyacheslav Fedorov, Head of Heavylift and Oversized Cargo transportation via Northern Sea Route.
Know-how, expertise, infrastructure
Because of the intense cold the Western Siberian region is only accessible by inland waterways between July and September. Shipping the outsize, heavy loads can start in July as soon as the ice-free period arrives to the Gulf Ob’ Bay. The programme includes some heavy items weighing up to 481 tonnes and measuring 87 metres long. In order to safely unload, store and load this cargo once more, Zuidnatie has appointed a technical engineer. Indeed, calculating and drawing how to lay these unusual items on the quayside was no easy task! The technical engineer supervised the entire operational process. And in terms of facilities too, Zuidnatie has what it takes, with twin-lift cranes able to handle loads of up to 400 tonnes and position them quickly and smoothly on the wide, modern quay. The handling operation went perfectly, as it had to.
Sample of good collaboration and planning
The Siberian city of Tobolsk where the plant is being built can only be reached via the North Sea route to the Russian Arctic port of Sabetta. There the parts are transferred to pontoons which in turn travel up the Irtysh river, arriving two weeks later in Tobolsk.
All this requires very careful planning due to the short navigation period and the strict order in which everything has to arrive. Thanks to good collaboration between Sibur, Linde, Deugro and Zuidnatie all the plant components are sure to be in the right place at the right time so that the plant in Tobolsk can be up and running by the planned date.
“Our project engineers and terminal managers calculate all lifting operations carefully and thanks to our performant 200 tons Terex Gottwald cranes (in twinlift up to 400t), our dockworkers look after smooth and damage free loading and unloading operations”, Marc Van Aken, Chief Commercial Officer, Zuidnatie.
