MARINE ENGINEERING INNOVATION

FINDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION  

Sometimes the most obvious solution isn’t the most cost-effective, nor is it the most efficient way to transport critical assets. We were contacted by our client, DHL Industrial Projects, to transport and install a marine loading arm at an aviation terminal on a critical deadline.

The terminal receives fuel from tanker vessels. The marine loading arm connects to those tankers’ manifolds and receives the aviation fuel securely from the vessel to storage tanks onshore. The component weighs 35te, is 21m long, and its fabricated integrity needs protection throughout the factory-to-foundation move.

Using our marine engineering insights

We want to find the right way to do things – a better way to lift critical assets and move them safely and securely. Sometimes, it’s simply a case of pooling our marine engineering insights to come up with a straightforward solution that makes the best use of our teams’ skills and inventory. That, for us, is innovation in action.

• It’s vital that everyone involved knows what is happening, where, and when, so we made sure we were involved in all site meetings with both port authorities and subcontractors (such as agents and vessel owners).
• Engineering and documentation for the project were completed with only two minor revisions to petrochemical QSHE standards. Being ‘on the ball’ like this saves time, but we think it also instils confidence in other stakeholders working on the project.
• We created a tide-critical lift plan and a bespoke mooring arrangement, and then our team drew from experience to come up with a new, practical way to install the marine loading arm.
• A traditional approach to this project might have involved transporting and installing them with a crane barge or sheer leg. Our solution – which we put together in close conjunction with our client – involved using a 2x 150te geared capacity vessel to load the marine loading arm, take it from Sheerness across the Medway (a 45-minute journey), and then berth to unload at the jetty.

Having calculated the tidal influences precisely, we could then lift, upend, and install the marine loading arm onto its foundations. Every part of the project was managed through to its conclusion on time, which also meant the project stayed within budget and let our end client hit their installation targets.