Cleaner fuels legislation creates major logistics challenges

JOY ORLEK THE INTRODUCTION of cleaner fuels legislation in South Africa from January 1, 2006 is what Sasol’s billion rand Project Turbo is all about. For Kuehne + Nagel and KN Tsepisa, which have been contracted to move the equipment required for the project, it’s provided the kind of challenges that are all in a day’s work for the dedicated project division based at head office in Edenvale. Preparation begins seven to eight months in advance of the deadline, says general manager projects, Ralf Franke, and it’s critical to have as much information as possible from the outset. The Sasol project, one of several on the company’s books, has involved the movement of heavylifts from various parts of the world to Secunda and Sasolburg, accomplished in most cases by chartering vessels with sufficient lifting capacity. The heaviest piece so far weighed 480 tons with dimensions 64.20 x 8.50 x 8.94 metres, but this was by no means the heaviest piece ever handled by the division on a worldwide basis, says Franke. Moving a load this size along South Africa’s roads was not without event. Telephone lines and electric cables had to be cut in some areas and it was necessary for Sasol to undertake a carefully orchestrated public awareness campaign through the media. But with assiduous planning by all parties involved – project owner, engineering company, shipping line, heavy haulage company etc - the project was accomplished with seamless efficiency, says Franke. “And it’s ongoing – another charter is expected in the next week, and that’s not the last.” Project business in general has been fairly static, according to Franke. “But for K+N, business is good – we believe our expertise, track record and global network have a lot to do with the positive business outlook.” Projects in sub-Saharan Africa are the focus of the local office, while China is logically the biggest project business source for the worldwide organisation.