Heavy infrastructure is at the core of almost every major energy and resources project in Australia. When that equipment is oversized, overweight, or both, getting it to site safely and on schedule is a project risk in its own right.
That was precisely the challenge Prime Global Logistics took on for a recent shipment of 17 conveyor belt reels, each weighing 63.3 tonnes, moving from China to a major mining operation in Western Australia’s Newman region.
Loaded in Taicang, shipped to Dampier, and delivered by road to site, the belts were among the heaviest single rolls of their kind at the time.
“The size and weight of each reel made for exceptionally dense loads,” Prime Global Logistics managing director Mundi Puvanendran said. “Getting them there required a 100-tonne float and 160-tonne crane, overweight permits, and precise weight distribution across transport and lifting equipment.
“Four parties were coordinated across the international and domestic supply chain to keep every stage on schedule. The tight window between goods-ready and delivery left no room for delay, and with effective management, the shipment arrived on time and without incident.”
Delivering out-of-gauge and heavy-lift logistics projects is not just a matter of finding bigger equipment. The weight and dimensional envelope of each piece determines vessel type, crane capacity, transport configuration and permit requirements, and those decisions must be made before a shipment moves. Change one variable and the rest of the chain shifts with it.
“For energy and resources operators, managing this level of complexity requires strategic planning and a single point of accountability,” Puvanendran said.
“Working with international freight networks and domestic transport operators, our team of specialists in Brisbane, Perth and Ho Chi Minh City take ownership of the full logistics chain – managing everything from documentation and sequencing to visibility from origin to site.”
Increasingly, EPCM contractors and project owners are engaging logistics specialists at the procurement stage, building transport strategies into project planning, reducing late-stage constraints and ensuring the right equipment and approvals are in place when required.
As project scales increase across Australia’s resources and energy sectors, experience and planning depth can determine whether critical equipment arrives as an asset or a liability.
For more information, visit primeglobal.com.au
