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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
AUGUST 2016
30
W
ind energy is increasingly big
business in South Africa, and SA-
based abnormal specialised trans-
port company Transcor is in the thick of it,
expertly moving bulky wind turbine compo-
nents from port to site.
In its most recent contribution to the renew-
able energy sector, Transcor is transporting
163 wind turbines from the port of Coega
near Port Elizabeth to two project sites near
the town of De Aar in the Northern Cape.
The contract, with freight forwarder Geodis
SA, began in March this year and will last
12 months.
“It is exciting to see wind power capacity
growing locally, and to be involved in these
pioneering projects,” said Rhett McVicker,
Transcor Project Director. “We are now spe-
cialised in the needs of this sector, having
successfully completed three wind turbine
contracts before starting on the De Aar 1
and 2 wind farms earlier this year.”
After a slow start up to 2011, the wind pow-
er sector in South Africa has grown into a
ZAR 70 billion industry, with over 1 000 MW
commissioned and another 2 200 MW on
the way. This rapid growth has meant a con-
stant and growing stream of large, heavy
components into the country’s ports – all
needing to be carefully transported to their
destinations.
McVicker said the company applies its
specialised equipment, including purpose-
designed blade trailers to accommodate
the length of the 44 m turbine blades.
Modular multi-axle trailers are used to
carry the 64 t nacelles – which house the
turbine’s components including generator,
gearbox, drive train and brake assembly.
By the end of the contract, Transcor will have
transported 815 wind turbine components
to site.
“As the dominant player in abnormal trans-
port in sub-Saharan Africa, we are well geared
up for this kind of work,” he said. “We have
located 10 of our trucks in Port Elizabeth for
the duration of this contract, supported by two
permanent load supervisors, 30 drivers, 20
escort vehicles and the necessary infrastruc-
ture and planning facilities.”
The 500 km route between Coega and
De Aar – which includes the demanding
Olifantskop Pass through the Suurberg
mountains between the towns of Patterson
and Cookhouse – was thoroughly surveyed
prior to the awarding of the contract, to
check overhead restrictions, bridges,
culverts and pipelines.
“As part of our regular planning process,
we also check road surface suitability, road
width and current road conditions to ensure
the safest and most efficient route,” said
McVicker. “Our project team secures the
necessary permissions from municipal and
provincial traffic authorities, and puts all
compliance issues in place.”
He said the tight curves of the Olifantskop
Pass required that section of road to be
temporarily closed to regular traffic by au-
thorities, to allow the convoy of trucks to
negotiate the bends. Each load combination
travels with two Transcor escort vehicles,
while certain areas require an escort by
road traffic inspectors through the small
towns. Roadworks must also be frequently
accommodated in the routing of the vehi-
cles; in this contract, the length of the blade
trucks can make certain routes unusable
when road maintenance is underway – in
which case alternatives are planned and
implemented.
Choice of a range of specialised equipment
is vital to ensure that routes are not unduly
extended by physical infrastructure en
route; the specification of well deck trailers
from the company’s fleet, for instance,
allowed the 4,3 m height of the nacelles
to pass under a low rail bridge near
Middelburg. This also helps expedite
projects while maintaining the highest
levels of compliance and safety, as loads
are subject to a 50 km road speed limit, and
regulations permit no travelling at night,
over weekends or during peak traffic hours.
“Observing all the compliance issues and
logistical challenges, we still maintain
a brisk pace with this contract, moving
two loads per week, per combination of
trucks,” he said. “Whatever the conditions,
we research each job meticulously before
we propose a solution to a customer, so
that we always find the safest and most
cost-effective option for any abnormal load
requirement.”
b
Transcor firmly rooted
IN RENEWABLES SECTOR