Capital Equipment News August 2016

Transcor firmly rooted IN RENEWABLES SECTOR

W ind energy is increasingly big business in South Africa, and SA- based abnormal specialised trans- port company Transcor is in the thick of it, expertly moving bulky wind turbine compo- nents from port to site. In its most recent contribution to the renew- able energy sector, Transcor is transporting 163 wind turbines from the port of Coega near Port Elizabeth to two project sites near the town of De Aar in the Northern Cape. The contract, with freight forwarder Geodis SA, began in March this year and will last 12 months. “It is exciting to see wind power capacity growing locally, and to be involved in these pioneering projects,” said Rhett McVicker, Transcor Project Director. “We are now spe- cialised in the needs of this sector, having successfully completed three wind turbine contracts before starting on the De Aar 1 and 2 wind farms earlier this year.” After a slow start up to 2011, the wind pow- er sector in South Africa has grown into a ZAR 70 billion industry, with over 1 000 MW commissioned and another 2 200 MW on the way. This rapid growth has meant a con- stant and growing stream of large, heavy components into the country’s ports – all needing to be carefully transported to their destinations. McVicker said the company applies its specialised equipment, including purpose- designed blade trailers to accommodate

the length of the 44 m turbine blades. Modular multi-axle trailers are used to carry the 64 t nacelles – which house the turbine’s components including generator, gearbox, drive train and brake assembly. By the end of the contract, Transcor will have transported 815 wind turbine components to site. “As the dominant player in abnormal trans- port in sub-Saharan Africa, we are well geared up for this kind of work,” he said. “We have located 10 of our trucks in Port Elizabeth for the duration of this contract, supported by two permanent load supervisors, 30 drivers, 20 escort vehicles and the necessary infrastruc- ture and planning facilities.” The 500 km route between Coega and De Aar – which includes the demanding Olifantskop Pass through the Suurberg mountains between the towns of Patterson and Cookhouse – was thoroughly surveyed prior to the awarding of the contract, to check overhead restrictions, bridges, culverts and pipelines. “As part of our regular planning process, we also check road surface suitability, road width and current road conditions to ensure the safest and most efficient route,” said McVicker. “Our project team secures the necessary permissions from municipal and provincial traffic authorities, and puts all compliance issues in place.”

temporarily closed to regular traffic by au- thorities, to allow the convoy of trucks to negotiate the bends. Each load combination travels with two Transcor escort vehicles, while certain areas require an escort by road traffic inspectors through the small towns. Roadworks must also be frequently accommodated in the routing of the vehi- cles; in this contract, the length of the blade trucks can make certain routes unusable when road maintenance is underway – in which case alternatives are planned and implemented. Choice of a range of specialised equipment is vital to ensure that routes are not unduly extended by physical infrastructure en route; the specification of well deck trailers from the company’s fleet, for instance, allowed the 4,3 m height of the nacelles to pass under a low rail bridge near Middelburg. This also helps expedite projects while maintaining the highest levels of compliance and safety, as loads are subject to a 50 km road speed limit, and regulations permit no travelling at night, over weekends or during peak traffic hours. “Observing all the compliance issues and logistical challenges, we still maintain a brisk pace with this contract, moving two loads per week, per combination of trucks,” he said. “Whatever the conditions, we research each job meticulously before we propose a solution to a customer, so that we always find the safest and most cost-effective option for any abnormal load requirement.” b

He said the tight curves of the Olifantskop Pass required that section of road to be

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