You are here
Home | Shipping | Heavylift | Combi Lift Receives New Mega Barge

Combi Lift Receives New Mega Barge

On the 19th of April, Damen delivered the 111-metre Damen Stan Pontoon 11226 RD mega-barge Tomsk to Combi Lift, a leading expert in the transport of heavy lift and project cargoes worldwide.

After nine months of construction, Combi Lift’s new mega barge Tomsk (Damen Stan Pontoon 11226 RD) has been delivered.

The barge Tomsk is 111.75 x 26.40 metres, 5,700 tonnes deadweight which is almost twice as large as the seven present Combi Lift barges. It will be used in the construction of Gazprom’s Amur Gas Processing Plant near Russia’s eastern border, transporting some of the largest components to the site.

“Combi Lift returned to Damen for this latest order based on the high quality of the original vessels and its ability to meet tight deadlines for delivery, and the Tomsk was indeed delivered within time, on budget and to the agreed specification regarding deadweight and quality. This was achieved despite the many constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the Herculean efforts made by the yard and excellent cooperation among all the counterparties involved.”

The barge will be operated by AAS Amur Assets Shipping Limited, a joint venture set up by Combi Lift to support its role in the construction of the Amur Gas Processing Plant, 150 km from Russia’s border with China. Like the earlier Damen vessels operating there, the new barge has been designed to navigate the very shallow inland waters in which it will operate. This involved minimising the weight while maximising the length and beam so as to increase buoyancy and reducing the draught. In total, Combi Lift is responsible for moving 176,000 tonnes of equipment and material that is required at the site of the new facility. The Tomsk will be tasked with transporting some of the largest components, including two, oversized heavy items that are critical for the operation of the processing plant. Hence the importance of the precise timing of the delivery.

The timeline for the project got underway on the 14th of May 2020 when the contract was signed, followed by steel cutting commencing at Damen Yichang Shipyard three months later in August. The barge was then launched earlier this month on the 6th of April with a delivery ceremony (without the barge) taking place on the 19th in Bremen, Germany.

Following its handover, the barge is to be transported to Shanghai where it will be floated on to a semi-submersible transport ship that will take it to South Korea where the first cargo will be loaded. The transport vessel, barge and cargo will then proceed to the Russian port of De-Kastri on the Sea of Okhotsk where the laden barge will be floated off to start the 2,370 km journey to the construction site.

“It has been a challenge, but we are delighted to have delivered this latest order from Combi Lift on time and on budget,” said Remko Bouma, sales manager Damen Shipyards North West & South Europe. “We’d like to thank them for their confidence in us. The relationship between our two companies has been further strengthened as a result and we wish them safe and successful operations with the Tomsk.”

“Once again, we would like to thank Damen for the exemplary support and the great cooperation,” said Holger Hinrichs, Managing Director of Combi Lift. “Tomsk is a cutting-edge vessel which represents an important enhancement of our tugs and barges fleet.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

“Disclaimer: “Breakbulk News & Media BV (Breakbulk.News) assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of articles published. The information and or article contained in these articles is provided on an “as is” basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness…”

blank
blank
blank
blank
blank
Top