Lift & Shift sets column transport record

Lift & Shift was challenged with carrying what it says is the longest column to be transported over sea and land in India.

The column's destination was Samsung's Opal project in Dahej. It was 125 m long, weighed 1,350 tonnes and was transported on 64 axle lines of self propelled transporter. The job also involved transporting a 13 m diameter fractionator, weighing 1,000 tonnes, on 48 axle lines of SPMT.

The 125 m column was offloaded in Mumbai from a Jumbo ship at the end of September 2010. The column was overhanging the ship by 20 m on each end, so special lashing had been used to secure it for safe transport on high seas.

Over 36 hours the equipment was transported from Mumbai port on Lift and Shift's (LSPL) AF 300 barge to Dahej, near Bharuch over a distance of 190 miles.

A roll-on-roll-off basin was constructed for the move by LSPL over a year-long period. It required permission from customs, along with a range of other government bodies, says the company.

The barge took berth at the purpose-built ro-ro basin in Dahej using four small tugs in the early hours of the morning. The barge was then beached at the basin during low tide. The equipment was rolled off the barge in two hours using 64 axle lines of SPMT.

Finally, the equipment was transported 1 kilometre by road. This included turning the transport 180 degrees, along with two 90 degree turns.