Case Study
Turnkey Transportation for EFAB
OVERVIEW
Moving a 62-tonne process tank across the country represents a challenge, however moving it by road and sea, coordinating ports, cranes, vessels, police escorts and road closures, while also removing the existing tank and installing its replacement, is something else entirely. This was the challenge presented to Malin when they were appointed by EFAB Industrial Solutions Limited to deliver a complete turnkey transportation package for a new caustic tank destined for the Ensus renewable ethanol facility at Wilton on Teesside.
The scope brought together mobile and port craneage, specialist road haulage, coaster chartering, police, Network Rail and local authorities.
Measuring 19m long, 7.5m wide and 7.5m high, and weighing 62 tonnes, the tank required a multimodal transport solution. It was tandem-lifted from its vertical fabrication position at EFAB’s Immingham facility onto a 12-axle hydraulic platform trailer, rotated for horizontal transport and secured using fourteen 12-tonne chains.
The tank was transported to the Port of Immingham, lifted onto a chartered coaster and shipped to AV Dawson in Middlesbrough. Malin provided the marine transportation engineering, including stowage and securing plans, sea-fastening, method statements and risk assessments, as well as managing the securing operation itself.
At Middlesbrough, another tandem lift transferred the tank back onto the hydraulic trailer for the final eight-mile journey to Ensus. The abnormal-load move began at approximately 5am and took two and a half hours, travelling largely along the A66 with a police escort. Extensive preparation included liaison with Police, local authorities and Network Rail, together with the temporary removal of street furniture, where required.
Malin’s scope also included removing the existing tank. After pipework and supports were removed, the tank was cut into three sections and lifted out using a 400 tonne crawler crane. Scaffolding around the tank left clearances of only around half a metre, requiring carefully controlled lifts and spotters to prevent clashes.
The replacement tank was then top-and-tailed using two cranes, bringing it from horizontal to vertical before the tailing crane was disconnected and the tank slewed and lowered into its final position.
By managing the engineering, marine transportation, heavy haulage, lifting operations and multiple stakeholder interfaces as one coordinated package, Malin successfully delivered a complete turnkey solution.
Client: EFAB Industrial Solutions Limited
End Client: Ensus UK Ltd
Project: Caustic Tank Replacement – Turnkey Transportation & Installation
Cargo: 19.044m × 7.44m × 7.647m – 62 tonnes
Route: EFAB Immingham → Port of Immingham → Middlesbrough → Ensus Wilton
Services: Turnkey project management, heavy road transportation, coaster chartering, marine engineering, stowage and sea-fastening, port operations, craneage and lifting engineering, abnormal-load planning, police and authority coordination, existing tank removal and new tank installation