Over land and water, through parking lots and cornfields – Mammoet successfully delivers oversized vessel

Mammoet recently completed a complex, multi-state and multi-modal transport of a process vessel from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Robinson, Illinois. Mammoet was contracted by an EPC company to execute a transport solution approved across three state lines. The scope included logistical coordination, the customisation of transport equipment, transferring the load to different transport modes, securing all necessary permits and aligning with local governments and authorities.

Mammoet engineered a 24-axle dolly system with tailor-made saddles to support the vessel. The trailer with the vessel was 300 ft. long, 25 ft. wide and weighed over 800,000 lbs. The first 52 kilometres (32 miles) of the transport began at the fabrication site in Oklahoma. This stage included challenging 45 degree turns and steep hills which required three prime movers. At the Port of Catoosa, the vessel was loaded onto a barge, which sailed 1,522 kilometres (946 miles) to Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Due to the swift current, a spud barge was needed to keep the barge in place so that the vessel could be safely rolled off. Back on the road, the vessel proceeded 251 kilometres (156 miles) to its final destination in Illinois. The crossing of a parking lot of a courthouse in a small town required 60 mats to ensure the property would not be damaged. Several tight turns required signs and poles to be removed. Mats were laid to allow travel over ditches, unpaved ground and through the edge of a cornfield. The last obstacle was a 100 ft. bridge on which Mammoet had to lay steel mats from piling to piling to create a temporary bridge to cross.

“Mammoet’s early involvement allowed plenty of time to mitigate risks, have all permits in place and coordinate with 50 different utility companies, and a dozen federal, state and local agencies. After six months of planning and coordinating, we were able to meet the needs of our customer by safely delivering the vessel to its final location in four weeks,” said John Rowe, Mammoet USA South Inc. sales manager.