SUPAGAS Pressure Vessels

Moving the Impossible

When standard transport wasn’t an option,
Ares Group engineered a custom solution to move
two 200KL pressure vessels from Port Kembla to Bomaderry, NSW, overcoming low bridges, tricky frames, and no tie-down points.

Challange

Supagas engaged Ares Group to transport two massive 200KL pressure vessels from Port Kembla to Bomaderry, NSW. Each vessel had a loaded height of approximately 5.5 meters, which posed a significant challenge: low bridge clearances in the Wollongong area made standard transport infeasible.

Additionally, the shipping frames provided were unsuitable for road transport using the selected trailer combination. The vessels also lacked tie-down points, complicating securement during transit.

Overcoming Transport Challenges with Innovation

Ares Group leveraged its M500 platform trailers, which allowed for:

  • Trailer widening to accommodate the vessel dimensions.
  • Lowering the vessel midsection into the trailer well, reducing the overall height to under 5.2 meters, enabling safe passage under low bridges.

To address the frame issue, the Ares engineering and consulting team:

  • Designed and manufactured custom transport frames within just 4 weeks.
  • Engineered frames with a custom lashing solution to secure the pressure vessels, despite the absence of built-in tie-down points.


Then and Now

Crookwell 2 Wind Farm is adjacent to Crookwell Wind Farm – the first operational wind farm in New South Wales, commissioned in 1998. The new turbines dwarf the old, at more than double the height (95m vs 45m), with blades triple the size (64m vs 20m), and with a nacelle 5 times as heavy (100T vs 20T).

All of which means that transporting wind turbines is becoming more and more challenging with time – a challenge we at ARES are more than happy to take on!

Hauling in the Dark

Due to their size and nature, many of the oversized turbine components were required to be transported during the night.  This included going through the sizeable town of Goulburn in the early hours of the morning.  Police escorts were on hand to manage traffic at intersections, and pilot cars were positioned strategically ahead of and behind the loads to warn local traffic.

Flattering Figures

Here’s a high level look at what we were able to achieve on this project:

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Tailored Solutions

The team designed and manufactured custom transport frames within four weeks.

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Low Bridges Clearance

The transport was completed with a maximum height of 5.5 meters, ensuring safe clearance under low bridges.

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KM’s to Site

The vessels were moved along a 64 km route from Port Kembla to Bomaderry, NSW.

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Total Deliveries

Pressure vessel is a very large, heavy-duty tank capable of safely holding  2 x 200,000 liters of pressurized material.

The Route

Overcoming Route Constraints

The 64 km route from Port Kembla to Bomaderry presented multiple logistical challenges. It passed through  Wollongong, with low bridge clearances requiring precise height adjustments. The journey also included tight urban roads and constrained areas , demanding careful planning, trailer modifications, and custom frame solutions to ensure safe, efficient transport of the large vessels.

Outcome

Successful Delivery with Safety and Innovation

Both pressure vessels were delivered safely and efficiently. Custom transport solutions ensured full compliance with safety regulations while adapting to the challenging route. Supagas praised the professionalism and ingenuity of the Ares team, highlighting the project’s successful execution and innovative approach.

The Route

The Road well Travelled

The transport route from Port Kembla to site was quite straightforward, using the route taken by many other wind farms already built in the region – namely Picton Rd out of Wollongong, then Hume Fwy to Goulburn, navigating a few tricky corners through Goulburn and finally onto the two site entrances on Goulburn-Crookwell and Woodhouselee Rds. 

Weathering Adversity

Fogging Hell

Transport took place mainly during the winter months, which are well known to be wet, windy, frosty and foggy, especially early in the morning. It was a common sight for our drivers to arrive on site with heavy fog and have to move at crawling pace or even park up until conditions improved.

The experience of our team of drivers and pilots was key to overcoming this obstacle without incident, with patience, good communication and situational awareness all contributing to our success.

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