CASE STUDY
MAKING LIGHT WORK OF DANGEROUS GOODS
H
Seismic Equipment Move Tests Project Detail
andling dangerous goods for offshore projects is a challenge for any breakbulk operator at the best of times, but logistics and shipping services provider GAC recently completed this task not once but twice for one project, returning 3,000 boxes of specialist seismic equipment from Scotland to Houston, having delivered them by the same route earlier in the year. The project, on behalf of Norwegian geophysical services provider Axxis Geo Solutions, or AGS, involved transporting 54 tonnes of seismic gear to the North Sea, for a project that began in June 2021. GAC North America initially delivered the cargo from Houston, and then following the completion of measurements in the North Sea, GAC Aberdeen oversaw return of the equipment later in the second quarter. “We chose air cargo as this is rental equipment and delivery time was obviously very important,” Andrew Cushnaghan, onshore project manager AGS, told Breakbulk. “GAC presented several solutions,
and the whole process, from initial talks to the arrival of the cargo in Houston, was handled for us by GAC key accounts manager, Ajmal Aboobacker.” Having ruled out sea freight as too slow, AGS chose an airfreight solution via Liège Airport, Belgium, utilizing two flights to keep costs to a minimum, and trucks for transport to and from Aberdeen in the north of Scotland. While reducing overall journey time, Cushnaghan noted that this did add some uncertainty around import and export to the UK. “We were uncertain, post-Brexit, about sending trucks to Bruges [to meet the cargo flight] due to the potential for customs delays and the consequent financial impact,” Cushnaghan said. “Ajmal was able to assure us of the customs process and helped us prepare the trucks in the best way to facilitate customs handling. This involved separate commercial invoices for each truck – normally we only make one commercial invoice for shipments – and careful loading of the trucks, to match the paperwork.”
BY MALCOLM RAMSAY
CLOSE COMMUNICATION
Worth several million dollars, the cargo of seismic equipment consisted of multiple nodes containing lithium batteries and required specialist dangerous goods packers and documentation. As a result, close communication between the partners was critical for success. As Jenna Deans, operations coordinator at GAC Aberdeen, explained: “Continual updates on progress, shipping lead times, the loading plan and Jenna Deans transport coordiGAC nating between ourselves and warehouse operatives was key.” Having completed the seismic project in the North Sea in the second quarter, AGS then repacked the equipment for shipment back to shore aboard the Assister, a ship under GAC’s agency.
The cargo aboard the Assister, a ship under GAC’s agency. CREDIT: ROBERT COOPER
44 BREAKBULK MAGAZINE www.breakbulk.com
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2022
