REMOTE SITES
the west coast. Upon arrival in Vancouver for each transformer, the local team lead took over and coordinated multiple subcontractors to cut the load free from its lashings, weigh it, hoist it, and transfer the transformer from the rail car to the cargo barge. The load was then secured for the 1,000 km journey up the west coast of British Columbia.
While each transformer was heading up the west coast on the cargo barge, Edmonton-based transport crews travelled to the barge landing in Stewart, BC. When the barge arrived, the deck ramp was lowered and the trailer backed directly under the waiting load. The crew secured and readied the load, drove it off the barge, and prepared for the final 325 km journey to the mine site. A partial jacking crew mobilised from Edmonton to meet the transport team directly at the mine site. The team worked together to safely offload and place the transformer onto the concrete foundations.
“ The project was full of challenges and complications such as the changing weight and dimensions, permit approvals with the 30 engineered bridge crossings, and the fabricator ' s sliding schedule. Mammoet was able to overcome these obstacles utilising crews from MCE, MCW and third parties to meet the client ' s schedule and react on short notice. Due to the changes in schedule for the first transformer, availability of the planned crane and berth in Vancouver was put in jeopardy. However, through diligent work from the team, we were able to find suitable, alternate equipment and work with the docks in an extremely short window of opportunity between ocean vessels. We saved the client time, energy and money simply by being able to deal with just one provider for the entire scope of work and sharing the effects of the delays over multiple modes / stages of the job, reducing their overall impact. Finally, not enough can be said of the crews that worked on this project. Their flexibility and ability to work together meant that we were able to support the client fully while, being a cost effective, safe solution.” Equipment used included a 9 Line Goldhofer
PST 8 axle rail car Jack & Slide system; Manitowoc 4600( operating from Spud Barge); plus a Cargo Barge 12 Line Scheuerle inter-combi( with 3 prime movers).
Another job saw Peabody Energy needing to move a 3,500 t dragline over a distance of 22 miles through the New Mexico desert to the El Segundo coal mine. Though the dragline was designed to ' walk ' at a maximum speed of one tenth of a mile per hour it would have taken the machine over a month to reach its destination at this speed. In order to speed up the journey, Mammoet loaded the dragline onto SPMTs and transported it it through the desert. Delivering the dragline in just 12 days, Mammoet reduced travel time by as much as 60 %, while eliminating the need for expensive power generators in the process. An additional job in the coal industry at the beginning of June 2016 saw Mammoet contracted to relocate a 1,000 t rock crusher at a major coal mine near Wright, Wyoming( see photo).
Another key logistics player in the mining market is Nuna Logistics in Canada. Vice President, Business Development, Grant Pearson told IM of the specific challenges in solution provision for mines in Arctic Canada:“ The primary challenges are due to a lack of infrastructure to connect northern mines to southern Canada. Several mines have only two
Mammoet was recently contracted to relocate a 1,000 t rock crusher at a major coal mine near Wright, Wyoming
options – winter only access via ice road and summer access in some locations by sea freight. If neither of these two options are available, freight must be flown in. Large equipment must be disassembled to accommodate either weight restrictions on the ice road – or the capacity of the ships’ cranes that will be unloading them from a sea lift. General consumable needs must be planned accurately to accommodate a once per year resupply if they are goods that are coming via ice road or sea lift.”
In either case, there is a limited window of time – roughly two months for the ice road and
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Mining Intelligence & Technology
SEPTEMBER 2016 | International Mining 147