The Hanoi-based company, SME Logistics transported equipment from the Port of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam to the Thai Oil Public Company (Thaioil) refinery in the Sriracha district, about 125 kilometres southeast of Bangkok.

The equipment included De-oiled filter vessels, and skids, and weighed 288 tons in total. The cargo was packed in 28 packages in total. The vessel packages weighed 65 tons each, and measured 16 metres by 5 metres, by 5 metres. The skid packages weighed 25 tons each, and measured 12 metres by 6.4 metres, by 4.5 metres.

Due to the cargo size, it was impossible to transport cargo from the fabricator to the port of loading fully over land. It was therefore transported by trailer and barge. Skids and vessels were moved to a jetty near the fabricator and loaded onto barges by a combination of 2 mobile cranes.

The refinery is being massively upgraded and expanded, under the ‘Clean Fuel Project.’ This project, with an estimated cost of about $4.8 billion, will increase the crude oil refining capacity from 275,000 barrels per day to 400,000. A new processing unit to handle heavy crude will also be installed. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.