Berard takes on titans

Berard Transportation, based in Louisiana, USA transported two titan oil platform superstructures, weighing 3,500 and 4,000 tonnes, with millimetres to spare.

The oil platforms were built for the Nikaitchuq Development Project in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska and had to be transported to the transportation vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. Berard used Goldhofer PST/SL-E and PST/ES-E modular transporters, totalling 144 axle lines, with 1,152 wheels.

The Goldhofer PST/ES-E has the highest axle load of all heavy-duty modules, says the manufacturer. With a width of 2,430 mm, it has been adapted for transporting to sites with flat racks and standard flatbed trailers. The modules can be combined and driven in lengthwise and crosswise direction as well as in open columns.

According to Goldhofer, the PST-E series of self-driven heavy-duty transporters are equipped with electronic multi-way steering modes based on a steering angle of +/- 135°.

Johnny Berard, Berard president, says it was a complex project, "To be successful here, a lot of individual parts have to fit together. It is a remarkable achievement for everyone involved."

The platforms had to be moved through their production lines. This required a steady hand from the operator, says Berard, and sophisticated, proven technology. A large number of obstacles had to be overcome, including a 90 degree hairpin turn and the process of loading the platform on to the ship with millimetre precision and positioning it on the good 350 m long deck.

Berard Transportation says this job counts as one of more than 33,000 heavy and heavy load vehicles it has delivered to more than 70 countries.