DSV projects unit was recently put to the test with a transport of 950-ton oil distilling component from Malaysia to Indonesia for Hyundai Engineering. The latter is involved in the Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) Balikpapan Project, which aims to improve the capacity and competitiveness of refineries in Indonesia with the revitalisation of five existing refineries located across the country.

In connection with the RDMP project, Hyundai Engineering reached out to DSV’s Projects team in APAC, as they needed to transport a main fractionator column from Kuantan, Malaysia, to Balikpapan, Indonesia. The main fractionator column is a key component in the extraction of various products from crude oil, and with a weight of 950 tonnes, this was no ordinary request.

“It is rare to see a component as heavy as the one we were asked to transport for Hyundai Engineering. For this reason, the main challenge of this assignment was to find a suitable vessel that had the necessary lifting capacity and was big enough to stow this massive cargo. Furthermore, it had to be able to accommodate the tidal condition when being loaded and discharged at the ports,” explains Brian Kim, director of APAC Projects.

“In order to make this shipment possible, we were in close contact with the DSV Global Chartering department, who are often a crucial support to us whenever we need to transport complex cargo. They were able to help us find a suitable vessel, equipped with two units of 900-ton cranes onboard, that could tandem lift the main fractionator column. Once the vessel was secured, our transport engineers in Projects could then work out the detailed lifting plan,” he added.

DSV operating under time constraints

In addition to the unusual weight of the main fractionator column, another challenge was that the cargo needed to be delivered within one month from signing the contract. This timing coincided with the festival season of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which is celebrated by Muslims worldwide, and during which many government agencies in Malaysia and Indonesia were closed for almost a week. This left the projects team with only three weeks to plan the shipment, acquire the necessary permits and prepare the shipping manual and method statement.

In light of this, Kenneth B. Christensen, vice president of Commercial in Air & Sea APAC, emphasises the benefits of our global network when faced with such challenges, “With a component as important as a main fractionator column, time is of the essence, so this was naturally a high priority shipment for Hyundai Engineering – and for us at DSV. This successful transport was the result of several weeks of meticulous planning and collaboration to execute safely and to our customer’s exacting specifications. This was only possible thanks to the efforts of our Korean, Indonesian and APAC Project colleagues as well as the Global Chartering department, who all came together to make this happen.”

Six days after the main fractionator column was loaded onboard the vessel in the port of Kuantan, Malaysia, it was discharged at its destination in Balikpapan, Indonesia, after which it was successfully put to use as part of the RDMP Balikpapan Project.