PRESS RELEASE
Willebroek - On Saturday 9th May, G&G International of Willebroek completed the first phase of a unique operation. The heaviest pressure vessel ever manufactured in Belgium, a vacuum tower weighing no less than 1,230 tonnes, was loaded onto a pontoon and shipped to Antwerp. The final destination of this 50 metre long and 16.5 metre diameter steel monster is Texas, USA.
Spectacular
The whole operation was carried out without a single crane, using a RoRo system. From the works the pressure vessel was carried on a hydraulic platform (consisting of 432 wheels) to the wharf. A temporary bridge was constructed between the wharf and the pontoon to make the transfer to the pontoon possible. “The whole thing looked really spectacular”, relates Xavier Mestdag, a transportation engineer at G&G International.
The operation was not completely without danger. “Since the demolition of the old Boulevard bridge in Klein-Willebroek had been delayed, we had to use a pontoon with less draught”, says Mestdag. “As a result, the stability of the pontoon while loading the vessel was extremely critical.” However, a solution for this was found too …
Police
“We had requested that all movement on the canal near our pontoon be stopped during the loading. That way we could be sure that there would be hardly any wakes and waves.” The locks at Wintam and Zemst were also closed temporarily during the loading. A police patrol was present as well during the loading to ensure that the temporary ban on shipping movement was obeyed. “We had to take measures such as this, otherwise the risks would have been too great.” To ensure the stability of the load during transportation, the pontoon didn’t depart for Antwerp until Sunday.
En route to America
After an 8-hour voyage, the pontoon arrived in the port of Antwerp. There the vessel was lifted and loaded onto one of the largest floating cranes in the world. On board this ship the Belgian vessel will sail to Port Arthur in the American state of Texas and will be erected in the refinery. It will be used there in the crude oil distillation process.
More information about G&G International and its sister company Geldof Metaalconstructie can be found at the website www.ggi.be or www.geldof.be.