Desert delivery

Turkish haulage operator Çaba transported a 600 tonne amine absorber unit 1,300 km across the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan to a flue gas desulphurisation plant

Çaba has regularly transported amine absorber units from Turkmenbashi, a port on the Caspian Sea, to the desulphurisation plant in Eloten since November 2010.

Some 1,000 km of the 1,300 km journey is across Karakum Desert sand dunes, which covers 70% of Turkmenistan - an area of more than 350,000 km².

For this latest task, Çaba used Scheuerle InterCombi platform trailers with 24 axle lines. An additional 12 axle lines of InterCombi SL (split type) were laterally coupled. The split type can be divided longitudinally, meaning the transport unit can be extended laterally. This 3-file combination offers improved stability for loads with a higher centre of gravity.

The load was pushed and pulled by three Mercedes 8x4 2MB 3850 6x6 WSK truck tractors. The total combination is more than 40 m long, 7.5 m wide and almost 7 m tall. For handling such dimensions, a number of precautions had to be taken.

Overcoming obstructions

All bridges crossed on the route were fitted with reinforcement systems. In addition, obstacles such as electricity pylons and road signs had to be removed. As a result, a single transport takes on average 60 days. In addition, asphalted roads had to be built for these transports for the remaining 300 km of the route.

The InterCombi modular design offers a range of solutions based on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8-axle platform trailers. These can be coupled both longitudinally and laterally, said the manufacturer.

InterCombi has 36 tonne axle load capacity. As an extension of the InterCombi series, the InterCombi PB (Power Booster) is available, fitted with drive axles that can be activated if required. It too is driven by a power pack unit (PPU), for gradients without the use of an additional tractor.