Heavy Transport by Kahl Heavy Load at Europort Haren/Ems

The KAHL Heavy Load & Pieper Heavy Transport carried out a mega transport operation at the Europort Haren/Ems. The distance was only 800 meters, but the task was challenging, as large pieces had to be transported from a production hall to the nearby port for loading onto a ship destined for Russia.

(Moers; Haren/Ems) In total, 6 large heat exchangers for two gas liquefaction plants, which were headed to Russia, had to be transported by the KAHL Group from a production hall near the port to the transport ship at the end of last year. In months of preparatory work, the individual parts were brought from various production sites to the company Barlage in Haren on the Ems. Here at the site, the parts were assembled in a large production hall and completed into huge heat exchangers. The heat exchangers consisted of two coolers weighing 658 t, dimensions 46.33 x 6.22 x 7.32 m (LxWxH), two coolers weighing 429 t, dimensions 29.06 x 5.58 x 7.53 m (LxWxH), and two coolers weighing 466 t, dimensions 32.25 x 6.42 x 6.95 m (LxWxH).

Great Challenges Due to Space Constraints

The KAHL Group was tasked with transporting the heat exchangers from the production hall to the loading point at the harbor basin using their heavy transport equipment. Here, two heavy-duty cranes (LR 1600) were waiting to lift the heat exchangers into the hold of the inland ship. Although the transport route was only about 800 m long, the challenges due to the cramped conditions were enormous, as the entire harbor basin had to be circumnavigated.For the approximately 658 t heavy cooler, the transport team relied on their proven Goldhofer heavy load modules. In the configuration as a trailing unit with 2 x 12 axle lines PST/SL-E P(1+1/2), the colossus was hydraulically lifted without external crane assistance. The vehicle combination P(1+1/2) is a so-called split design. In this case, a vehicle module is split lengthwise and coupled in parallel with another module. This offers significantly better stability than a vehicle with standard width and requires less space for maneuvering than the double-width P(1+1) version. The respective 12-axle unit was powered by a powerful power pack with 490 hp. Since the 658 t were securely strapped to the two one-and-a-half self-propelled units, it was already a masterful achievement to navigate the three upcoming 90° turns with a total length of more than 50 m and a load width of 6.43 m.

Some Maneuvering Required

Some fixed obstacles (silo systems, walls, streetlights, etc.) as well as parked components forced the specialists to perform some maneuvering operations. Thanks to the electronic steering of all axles, the entire convoy was able to pass through the narrow passages at a snail’s pace. That such transports can also be managed without a turntable (which offers the advantage of significantly better tipping stability) requires meticulous preparatory work and a lot of transport experience, which the well-rehearsed transport team from KAHL and PIEPER demonstrates daily. Despite the adversities, the schedule was adhered to, and the inland ship was able to maintain its prescribed timetable. Photos: © Goldhoferwww.goldhofer.com      www.kahl-schwerlast.de