Heavy-lift expert Mammoet’s USA team recently won a Job of the Year award at the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association’s (SC&RA) Annual Conference in Washington D.C. for the transportation of furnace modules, the largest of which measured 91 metres long, 43m wide, over 21m tall, and weighed in at over 8,000t.

The award was received by Mammoet for ‘Hauling Job of the Year’ in the ‘Moving Project’ category, which highlights transports done using specialised equipment such as self-propelled transporters, dollies, and crawler assemblies. 

The SC&RA awards were developed to give special recognition to members that perform exceptional achievements in solving problems encountered in rigging and hauling. 

At the show, Mammoet presented its successful completion of the transportation of furnace modules for the Gulf Coast Growth Ventures plastics manufacturing facility in San Patricio County, Texas. In 2021, Mammoet successfully transported the heaviest modules of the project – the furnaces.

A mammoth task

The largest furnace module measured approximately 91 metres long by 43m wide, towered over 21m tall, and weighed in at over 8,000t.  A single module required seven trains of SPMT trailers at 46 axle lines in length and each module was transported along a dedicated eight-kilometre heavy haul route using SPMTs.

Over the course of three years, Mammoet crews completed the heavy haul of approximately 195 loads for the construction of this facility. During the planning phase, Mammoet was asked to supply up to 800 axle lines of SPMT; however, at operational peak, the team utilised almost double that – 1,578 axle lines of SPMT – to ensure continuous delivery of modules to site. By pooling global resources from over six international locations, Mammoet was able to supply all the axle lines for each of the transports in-house. 

The integrated approach, sharing of resources, and collaboration from all parties on site led to the successful completion of the project safely, on time, and on budget.

Setting a new modularisation precedent on the gulf coast

“This was one of those ‘once in a lifetime’ projects; an amazing team came together, creating a true culture of possibility leading to the successful execution of this project both safely and efficiently,” shared Adam Bettis, Engineering Team Lead at Mammoet and presenter at the conference. “I am extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish, and it was a great honour to have the opportunity to present this unique project and receive the Hauling Job of the Year in our category. This project sets a new precedent for the extent of modularisation possible on the gulf coast, and I hope that instead this job becomes a ‘first in a lifetime’.”

Mammoet Sales Manager, Robert Roest, echoed the sentiment: “I am so excited to see this project win the award. To me it is the final chapter for a project that has been unique in so many ways,” he remarked. “Of course, there is the scale of the modules and the distance driven – never done before, and our people made it happen. But there is also the owner’s philosophy on safety: ‘No Hurts’ and collaboration. This ‘One Team’ collaborating approach, fostering mutually beneficial relationships between owner, EPCs and subcontractors, encouraged teamwork across contractual boundaries. This was a win-win-win from the start, and now this final ‘Job of the Year’ win to me is the fitting closing chapter.”

The SC&RA, a trade association with more than 1,400 members from 46 countries, is dedicated to advocating, educating and providing networking opportunities to support the heavy lift industry in operating safely, legally and profitably around the world. This annual event attracts owners, CEOs, management, and leaders in the industry.