Scope
In 2021 OblinCEA in Vietnam carried out one of the largest wind turbine projects the country had ever seen. The project was for the full turn-key logistics and installation of wind turbines at two new wind farms; the first wind farm, Huong Hiep One was located in the mountainous region of Huong Hoa, Quang Tri, in Central Vietnam. The second wind farm was set in the coastal area of Quang Binh province 150 km north of Quang Tri, also in Central Vietnam.
Transportation
Due to the remote locations of the wind farms and the complex geography of Vietnam a comprehensive intermodal solution had to be devised by OblinCEA. This transport solution started with extensive topographic studies and route surveys of the installation sites and the surrounding terrain. The roads to Huong Hiep One in Quang Tri were very narrow and twisty, and although the transport of the nacelles and tower sections was possible with standard trucks and trailers, the 76-metre turbine blades and their trailers would not be able to traverse the mountain sections.
The transport management team decided the best course of action was to use one of the world’s most ingenious heavy transport vehicles, the Goldhofer Blade Lifter. A milestone moment, as this was the first time any logistics company in Vietnam had used this piece of equipment. The blade lifter provides a whole host of options and offers full flexibility in the towed or self-propelled mode with extremely high stability making it ideally suited for the terrain on this project.
To further ensure an efficient transport project through congested and built-up areas, OblinCEA worked closely with the local authorities in each province to secure the correct authorization and permits in accordance with the highway laws of Vietnam. All heavy transport convoys were accompanied by OblinCEA Escort Vehicles to maximise road safety. With such a large fleet of vehicles on the road transporting thousands of parts and equipment to the wind farms, the safety of personnel and the general public was of the utmost importance. The transport management recorded no incidents during the project duration which amassed over 63,000km in distance travelled.
Transport Services Provided
- Manpower
- Administration
- Procurement
- Vessel chartering
- Port operations
- Barging
- Traffic management
- Heavy transport
- Heavy lift
- Blade lifting
Transport Project Details
Location
Quang Tri, Vietnam
Quang Binh, Vietnam
Duration
One Year
Cargo Transported
689 Tower Sections
411 Wind Turbine Blades
46 Nacelles
Distance Travelled
63,000 KM
Installation
OblinCEA was also chosen for the commissioning and installation of the wind turbines at each location and worked in conjunction with the asset owners and their contractors. Two teams of technicians that had worked on other commissioning projects of onshore wind farms in Vietnam were selected. Throughout the project, OblinCEA employed 16 technicians at each location working simultaneously at each site. All technicians had Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR) certification. Other onsite personnel consisted of site managers, crane operators, truck drivers, riggers and traffic managers.
OblinCEA supplied a fleet of heavy lift cranes for the installation of the tower sections, nacelles, blades and hubs, and also supplied a number of other assisting cranes and trucks that were responsible for the safe movement of equipment between hardstands at each install site. As the weather on wind farms can be unpredictable, optimising the weather windows was key to progressing on the project, with this in mind OblinCEA opted to operate one shift per day with flexible hours to accommodate and take advantage of the lifting windows. This approach ensured that the heavy lift equipment was where it was meant to be when it was needed, saving on costly project overruns.
Installation Services Provided
- Component receipt and storage
- Component transport prioritization
- Hardstand drawings/layout plan
- Engineering and lift drawings
- Traffic Management
- Manpower recruitment
- Contract negotiation (suppliers)
- Material handling equipment (MHE)
- Cranage
- Project management of all heavy lift activities
- Onsite management and supervision
- Electrical and mechanical works supervision
- Client walk-downs
- Punch lists
- Closeout
