Altius has successfully completed the Huelva FORCE (HU4) project, which consisted of the transportation of 40 units – 6,400 cbm and 925 tons, including 6 heavy lift units (Cold box and Exchanger) with maximum unit dimensions of 31 meters long, 6.15 meters wide, 6 meters high and weighing 184 tons. The cargo was shipped from a private dock in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, to the Port of Huelva, Spain.
The most significant milestone of the operation was the transport of the heaviest unit ever moved across the Rio Tinto Bridge, reaching final transport dimensions of 91.54 meters long, 6.15 meters wide and 7 meters high, with a total weight of 350 tons.
The road transport distance from the port to the final delivery site was approximately 10 kilometers. However, due to the extraordinary dimensions of the transport convoy, extensive and close coordination was necessary with all authorities involved: port terminal, traffic, port police and highway department, to facilitate the departure of the convoy from the port and block traffic in both directions, avoiding critical height restrictions.
The biggest challenge of the project was the crossing of the bridge over the Tinto River, which presents structural particularities and a significant weight limitation due to its year of construction. After a thorough coordination with all parties involved -client, port authority, engineering, transport company and ALTIUS- it was possible to define a suitable and feasible transport configuration that complied with all the restrictions of the bridge. It was necessary to build 2 additional 14-meter transport girders for a correct weight distribution during the transfer. Measurement of the bridge deflection before, during and after the special transport was also organized to guarantee and verify the safety and structural integrity of the bridge, obtaining favorable results. In addition, work was carried out on the median of the road to allow for the passage of the transport in the opposite direction. All the necessary improvements and signaling were implemented in accordance with the requirements of the local authorities.
Due to internal plant constraints, it was not possible to reach the final delivery position inside the plant with the equipment used for the main road transport. Therefore, it was necessary to set up a transshipment area near the main access and to organize the reloading of the 5 critical units on Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMT), equipped with 2 6-axle units and a PowerPack. This transshipment area was prepared by Altius and the transport company.
