The UAE-based Al Faris Group has executed the complete logistics chain including receiving, storing, transporting and lifting of 30 overflow tanks which are part of the ongoing Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project.

For the journey from Jebel Ali Port (UAE) to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the company deployed Goldhofer THP/SL heavy-duty modules. The transport of 52-meter-long loads weighing 235 tons involved extensive logistical preparation and various permits. Every journey was made in a convoy of two files, each comprising 30 Goldhofer heavy-duty axle lines and a Mercedes Arocs tractor. This ensured punctual delivery of all the tanks to the solar park.

The tanks are used together with an expansion tank as part of an overflow storage system, in which the expanded thermal fluid can be stored and reused. With a final generating capacity of 5,000 MW, the plant in Seih Al Dahal, which is partly operational already, will be the world’s largest single-site solar farm.

Al Faris optimises the route

The biggest challenge was to find a feasible route from Jebel Ali Port to Solar park, Al Qudra in order to transport the cargo efficiently, Al Faris said in its statement.

The Memmingen, Germany based Goldhofer added that another challenge was keeping loading times as short as possible. Strict specifications had to be met due to time restrictions and the storage volume in the port. The route itself had to be meticulously planned in terms of modifications to the roads, detours and temporary bypass roads so as to avoid any obstacles for the transport.

As the ideal solution for such a demanding journey, the experts at Al Faris chose towed heavy-duty modules in Goldhofer’s THP/SL series. That avoided any problems with uneven terrain on the construction site. In view of the length and weight of the tanks, the Al Faris specialists decided on a parallel combination with 30 axle lines each.

“Our planning was 100 percent successful and we were able to move the tanks to their destination within a very short time,” says Hillary Pinto, founder and managing director of the Al Faris Group.

On arrival at the site, the tanks were offloaded and moved about 100 meters by a 400-ton crawler crane and placed on the awaiting foundations.

Dean Exner, Goldhofer’s regional director of sales for the Middle East, was equally delighted with the outcome of the mega-project handled by his customer Al Faris.

“When it comes to transporting ultra-heavy and voluminous cargoes on and off- road, the THP/SL modules are often the most economical solution. They are the key to extremely high payloads in combination with long continuous operations,” Exner said.