It was an incredible journey that
left experienced logistics experts
in awe.
Weighing in at 406 tons, the
single biggest cargo ever to be
moved on an alternative route
in South Africa, ESKOM’s
transformer literally brought traffic
to a halt.
“The movement of the
transformer from the Port of
Richards Bay to Tutuka Power
Station outside of Standerton in
Mpumalanga required very careful
planning,” said Vonani Ntlhabyane,
ESKOM shipping manager.
“Nothing could be left to chance
seeing that the large, heavy duty
combination was going to be
the first to break the 1 000-ton
gross combination mass and was
being moved on an alternative
route – Melmoth (R66), Vryheid,
Piet Retief (R33/34) – due to
road works on the N2 Pongola
Superload route. The devil is in
the detail as they say and we made
sure that every minute aspect was
considered and taken care of before
the team could even leave the port.”
Today the transformer stands
proud at the power station, doing
its part in keeping South Africa’s
lights on following its slow, but
successful journey – proof that
South Africa has the ability to
handle abnormal and delicate
project cargo of this nature.
“Having been informed by the
South African National Roads
Agency Ltd (Sanral) that we would
have to make use of an alternative
route due to road works on the
N2 Pongola highway, ESKOM
Holdings – instead of delaying
the delivery – took the bull by the
horns and started a long clearance
exercise.
“The destined route was going
to be closed for at least 18-24
months and that implied that all
cargo would either have to wait or
be moved via an alternative route,”
said Ntlhabyane. “We are in the
process of augmenting our power
supply through new build projects
and refurbishment of our current
fleet to ensure that South Africa
has enough power to support its
economy and daily needs of its
citizens. We needed a solution to
get our cargo, regardless of its size,
to its destination rather than delay
our ongoing projects.”
The first step was to appoint road
clearance consultants to assess the
alternative route that would see the
multiple truck combination with
an overall length of 160 metres
and an overall gross combination
mass of 1 126 tons go through the
towns of Empangeni, Melmoth,
Vryheid, Paulpietersberg, Piet
Retief, Ermelo, Hendrina, Witbank,
Kinross and finally Standerton.
According to Dennis Child, head
of logistics at ESKOM Holdings,
who carefully selected the team
responsible for moving the cargo,
the alternative route had limitations
on unit loading and there were
seven bridge structures that had
to be evaluated by structural
engineers.
“Various areas were also
identified where street furniture
had to be removed ahead of
time to allow safe passage of the
combination, while at the R34/R66
junction in Nkwalini a shunt had
to be planned as the combination
was too long to allow turning of the
large beam trailer.”
According to Child,
communication throughout the
entire process was a key factor in
the successful transportation of the
transformer.
“The journey took ten days only
travelling weekdays between 6am
and 6pm at a maximum speed
limit of 15km per hour to cover
the 860km, using six trucks to pull
the load. Everyone involved had
to be on the same page all the time
and that is only achieved by good
communication.”
Calm and steady won the race.
There were times when visibility
was terrible, while at other times
the heat affected the truck engines,
but the team made it through as
they always kept one aspect in
mind – safety.
“There was no compromising
on safety,” said Ntlhabyane. “We
chose not only our equipment well,
but also our people. This entire
project was handled safely because
we did not cut corners. If there was
any doubt the team would stop and
wait, assess the situation and then
make an informed decision before
moving on.”
CAPTION
The multiple truck combination – with an overall length of 160 metres and an overall
gross combination mass of 1 126 tons – winds its way to the Tutuka Power Station in
Mpumalanga.
