CREATING HISTORY THROUGH LOGISTICS
Shipment of Semi-Submersible Drilling Rig from Singapore to Baku Cargo Specification:
2 90.00 x 14.59 x 13.20 metres Gross 2441 metric tonnes (each)
4 16.20 x 12.50 x 14.30 metres Gross 330 metric tonnes (each)
1 25.30 x 16.27 x 2.00 metres Gross 200 metric tonnes (each)
The pontoons were towed out to the West Jurong anchorage where they were floated over the decks of the already submerged, semi-submersible vessel “Tern”. The voyage to the Black Sea via the Suez Canal was relatively trouble free. Given that the cargo would be towed through the Volga-Don Canal, (a feat that has never been done for this size of non-propelled cargo in post-Soviet era), a suitable discharge point as close to Azov as possible, was required. The vessel Tern, when submerged requires 17-18 metres of depth and the closest known area of the Azov Sea, which is known for its shallowness, was in Kerch.
The discharge conditions were very difficult with strong winds and a high swell necessitating 5 tug boats to complete the discharge. Thereafter the pontoons were each hooked up to special “pusher” and “puller” tugs which had been reserved many months beforehand. This provided essential control and manouverability, without which the pontoons would have represented a significant hazard to other vessels, bridges and the lock systems.
Murphy personnel, led by Logistics Manager Pasha Mamedov were on board during the entire transit from Kerch to Baku, assisting the Tug Masters with daily adjustments to the towing gear and providing regular status reports by radio and mobile telephone. During the transit and prior to arrival into the Caspian Sea a team of maritime experts from Murphy and Kaspmornefteflot conducted trials before drafting a suitable berthing plan, which was subsequently carried out impeccably. Great care had to be taken in manoeuvring these enormous pontoons through the “S” shaped entrance to the shipyard, made additionally difficult by the strong winds and busy traffic.
The heavy lift cargo was shipped from Singapore to Mariupol, by vessel “Wilma”. Due to unavailability of a 500 mt crane in Mariupol, a second vessel was brought alongside and an extremely complicated discharging manoeuvre was undertaken, whereby the columns were lifted onto the deck of the support ship. “Wilma” was then shifted to the side, enabling a barge to be delivered between the two vessels and receive the cargo directly. After each lift the barges were ballasted using auxiliary tugboats to maintain stability.
After loading, the columns were lashed and secured on the decks using custom built “stoppers” welded into place. Two barges were used for this sector of the project and once again each was allocated pusher and puller tug boats.
Due to the height of the cargo, a problem further exacerbated by the high water levels in the Volga, overhead cables had to be removed or re-routed. In some instances the barges were ballasted to a level just 30 cm from the water level. The configuration of the barges (they were originally approved only for river operations) meant considerable upgrading work was undertaken to bring them up to the standards required for operations within the Caspian Sea. Numerous maritime experts from several countries were involved in approving this project and it is a credit to all of them that the cargo was safely delivered within schedule despite all the complications and unfavourable weather. The pontoons were delivered in only 42 days and the heavy lift cargo in 46 days, well within the allotted 50 which had been agreed at the outset of the project.
One of the highlights was undoubtedly the discharging operation in Caspian Shipyard which attracted large crowds on the hill overlooking the shipyard. The crew of the crane ship General Ali-Aga Shikhlinsky demonstrated true professionalism as they rose to the challenge and completed their task with aplomb. Under the management of Kaspmornefteflot, these large columns were positioned perfectly onto pre-arranged pods with less than a metre of space between them. A considerable amount of this work was undertaken at night under floodlights and it is noteworthy to mention that Caspian Shipyard Co. personnel played an important role in the operation. Furthermore, the most important consideration for Murphy and all parties involved was compliance with the HSE plan and it is a great pleasure to report that there were no lost time incidents at all within the entire implementation of the logistics services.
Murphy Shipping and Commercial Services Ltd has been providing services to and from Azerbaijan since 1992 and has assembled an impressive team of multi-lingual staff. As an investor in people, Murphy has provided overseas training to many Azerbaijani and Georgian nationals in such areas as dangerous goods, health, safety and environmental as well as accountancy, project logistics and management techniques. With more than 65 nationals, Murphy is the largest employer of local personnel in the logistics sector. It is important to point out that a significant proportion of the aforementioned project was controlled by Rauf Mamedov, Murphy’s Operations Director. A confident, unassuming person - Rauf has been with the company for 8 years and has played a key role in their development during this time.
The Company is well known within the Oil and Gas industries for providing innovative, tailored solutions to logistics problems. To underline this Murphy is accredited with ISO 9002 being the first within the logistics sector in Azerbaijan to achieve this. Fully licensed by the Customs authorities, Murphy provide door to door services for every type, shape and size of cargo, not just oil rigs or drilling equipment. An ambitious expansion programme is presently underway with the development of a logistics centre at Karadagh, which is intended to provide 26,600 sq mtrs of covered and open storage facilities.
Murphy is the agent of Maersk Sealand in Baku, the worlds largest shipping line. Despite traditional freight forwarding being at the core of its portfolio, Murphy is also involved in every facet of the logistics chain through subsidiary companies such as ‘MUSCL’ (Murphy Universal Supply Chain Ltd) a specialist in supply chain management. The company is able to globally source and procure materials, manufactured to exacting specification. In the discipline of ‘Distribution’ Murphy can boast another world leading brand as the distributor of Shell products. By maintaining a consignment stock of specialist oils, greases and lubricants for a number of major clients, Murphy is keeping the wheels of industry turning in Baku.
Recently, Murphy has been awarded a Customs Clearance and General Freight Forwarding Contract by Consolidated Contractors Company who are responsible for the construction of the BTC pipeline within the territory of Azerbaijan.
Learn more about Murphy on www.murphy.az;
www.murphyshipping.com; www.muscl.co.uk
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