Mammoet’s expertise and heavy equipment have been pivotal in maintaining the ALBA project timeline. The ALBA project aims to expand the Sines Industrial Complex in Portugal, which will include a linear polyethylene plant and a polypropylene plant. These facilities are set to operate by 2025, producing 100% recyclable polymeric materials for the pharmaceutical, automotive, and food industries.
Nippon Express, a company with over twenty years of heavy logistics experience at the Sines complex, enlisted Mammoet to handle the heavy haulage of twelve cargo pieces. This included four oversized components that needed to be transported 14 kilometers to the site. Along this route, Mammoet faced three significant obstacles, all related to bridges, which posed challenges for the oversized cargo.
Near Sines Port’s exit, a large, unused overhead conveyor belt stood in the way. Dismantling the belt was not permitted, necessitating an alternative transport solution for the oversized components. The four largest pieces, including a reactor (445 tons), a product purge bin (220 tons), and two multizone circulating reactors (158 tons and 167 tons), were redirected to a nearby container terminal. This terminal was a much busier location, requiring meticulous scheduling, organization, and project management. Mammoet constructed a temporary steel bridge over the conveyor belt, allowing the convoy to pass without dismantling the structure.
Further along the route, Mammoet encountered a bridge over a pipe rack that could not support the reactor’s weight. To address this, they used 4 x 24 meters of rafting beams, placed on the bridge’s pillars, to support the heavy load without damaging the bridge itself. Alvaro Macias, Mammoet’s Sales Manager, explained the rationale: “What we wanted to achieve with the rafting beams is to not step onto the bridge, only on its pillars. The pillars had sufficient capacity to support the weight of the components.”
The final challenge was an old railway bridge, also unused but not demolishable. The local authorities allowed only the temporary removal of the bridge’s steel top, not the abutments. With the space between the abutments measuring 9.2 meters and the reactor’s diameter at 9.9 meters, Mammoet’s solution involved transporting the reactor at a higher level. This elevated the reactor’s trunnions above the abutments, eliminating the need for bridge dismantling. Macias noted, “What we proposed was to lift the reactor using an extra elevation between the SPMT trailers and the component, so that it could be lifted above the wall.”
Using 52 axle lines of Mammoet SPMTs for the reactor and 24 for the lighter components, the transportation was executed at night, with each piece taking two shifts. Mammoet’s innovative use of SPMTs, bridge-crossing techniques, and custom solutions minimized disruptions, reducing both time and costs. Macias reflected, “It was a difficult and tough operation, but we knew we had the expertise and equipment to do the job. We performed a complete study of the route with all the bypasses to be done and that set us up for success.”
Mammoet’s extensive experience in the region reassured the client that the operation would meet the highest standards of safety and efficiency.
