It is the heaviest reactor a K-class heavy lift vessel has lifted, smashing the vessel’s own record of lifting a giant 1,929 tonne wash tower, the heaviest cargo ever lifted by Jumbo, in August 2019.

Loading in Europe
The Jumbo Kinetic team loaded two giant reactors from a barge at Walter Tosto in Ortona, destined for the Thaioil Clean Fuel Project in East Thailand. The first was the record breaking 2086t reactor and the second reactor was almost as heavy, weighing an impressive 1921t and measuring 59 metres in length and 8 metres wide. To meet the 6.8-metre draft restrictions in Ortona, the team first lightened the vessel by removing the tween decks and pontoon hatch covers resulting in a precise heavy lift with a shallow draft.

The Jumbo Kinetic crew then continued sailing up the coast to Porto Marghera where another two reactors weighing 1850 tonnes each and measuring 59 x 8 x 7m were waiting. Each reactor was loaded from a barge using Jumbo’s cranes and placed carefully on deck. All cargo was safely secured and sea-fastened before the vessel set off on the last leg of its journey to Laem Chabang, Thailand.

Discharging in Thailand
In Laem Chabang, the four reactors were carefully unloaded by the Jumbo Kinetic cranes directly onto extended trailers waiting on the quayside. The reactors are to be used as part of Thaioil’s Clean Fuel Project to produce cleaner transport fuels in a more environmentally friendly way. Their new process will remove sulphur, NOx and dust emissions from its Sriracha Refinery in the Chonburi province in the east of Thailand.

Precision Lifting, Precision Planning
“Precise heavy lifting with a K-class vessel requires precise planning. With a busy K-class sailing schedule as well as Covid-19 restrictions and delays, we still managed to fit this project in seamlessly for our clients.” Guy Foubert, Regional Commercial Manager, Jumbo Shipping.

Our engineers and port captains worked closely with our client to create a highly customised solution. The added complexity of the ultra-heavy cargo meant that smart and accurate logistical planning and engineering were essential.

In addition to our people, Jumbo was awarded this contract due to the 3000-tonne dual lifting capacity of the Jumbo K3000 vessels cranes. The K3000 class offers 3250 m2 free deck space, and 21,000 cbm hold capacity and is well suited for the transportation of large and lengthy equipment such as reactors and columns.

“A strong working team has made a new record possible: together we achieved new levels in the heavy lift transportation industry. Complexity and challenges required by EPC projects are constantly increasing and a common approach is exactly what we need to put in place!” say the PSS Logistics Team.

With thanks to our JV project partners for entrusting us with this critical shipment: JV Petrofac South East Asia Pte Ltd, Saipem Singapore Pte Ltd and Samsung Engineering (Thailand) Co. Ltd.