BREAKBULK VETERANS

project engineers for any damage. The only damage was to the protective cover on the nozzle of the heavy wall column and a brief fire from the low nitrogen purge in the column.

After a 10-day rail transit the first two columns finally reached the end of the railroad line which was across a river from the jobsite. Again, the winter window came into play. Because the river was frozen, the columns could be loaded on hydraulic platform trailers and safely transported across the ice. The railcars then traveled back to the port to receive the other two columns which then moved without incident to the jobsite.

Although the winter window was winding down, the cold temperatures allowed the railcars to go to a western Canada port city to transport two additional locally fabricated refinery components that were smaller and could move through several railroad tunnels.

This completed the need for the railcars, and they were returned to their respective railroads, one of which claimed damage to one of the cars. Although we disagreed on the severity of damage, we decided to authorize the repair so the car could go off-hire sooner.

This entire effort took months of planning and input from many individuals, and it was critical that each understood what would be required as well as the infrastructure limitations. The major unknown was how severe the winter weather would be, and no-one can foretell that. In my experience, it’s best to plan for the worst and celebrate when things go right along the way. BB

John Amos is the co-founder of Breakbulk Americas. He spent most of his career as the head of logistics for global EPC Bechtel Corp. and now runs his own consulting firm, Amos Logistics.

Extreme Weather

Snow, ice and freezing temperatures don’t stop project cargo moves. Here a few of our favorite photos, submitted by our readers.

This photo, taken in North Dakota, is not only a great one but has special meaning to everyone at Berard. It was taken by one of Berard’s team members, Trey Chapman. Trey was a well-liked and dedicated team member who sadly succumbed to cancer at the age of 35. Berard submitted this photo in Trey’s memory.

Berard recently transported this 130,000 lb. electrical building 2,146 miles from Houston, TX to Killdeer, ND using a nine axle extendable drop-deck. The trip was completed in six days, which was right on schedule.

CREDIT: BERARD

ARC’s roll-on, roll-off vessel Honor sailing by Drammen village in Norway.

CREDIT: ARC

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