A business need arose to provide end-to-end logistics services for a 500 MVA Power Transmission and Transformation Project in Turkmenistan. This involved transporting 29 Heavy Duty Transformers, that had dimensions of 12.4 metres x 4.61 metres x 4.85 metres, and their accessories weighing a total of 19,170 FRT from the manufacturing unit in Karjan, Gujarat to various Turkmen Energo project sites in Turkmenistan. However, there were several challenges to be overcome, including obtaining permissions from officials in India, Turkey, Russia, and Turkmenistan, dealing with the impact of COVID-19, and navigating the war between Russia and Ukraine.

To overcome these challenges, NTC Logistics team presented a multi-modal logistics option to the client. This involved the first-mile transportation of the transformers to Kandla Port, using heavy lift break bulk vessels for ocean transportation, river-going vessels from Hyderpasa Port, Turkey, to Turkmenbashi Port, Turkmenistan, hydraulic trailers for road transportation, and rail rakes for transportation to the sites in Turkmenistan.

The implementation involved collaboration between the project and heavy lift teams of NTC and the client to understand their requirements and timelines. The team planned the assets required for the operation, worked with agencies at both the origin and destination, orchestrated lifting and transportation sequences, coordinated with various private and government organisations, tracked vessels, allocated resources and funds, and coordinated with the customer at the destination.

Our team is well-versed in handling large export packages of windmill components and had strong relationships with break bulk vessel owners, allowing them to obtain heavy lift vessels for ocean transportation. They deployed 70 line Goldhofer Hydraulic Axle trailers for the transportation of transformers by road from the manufacturing unit in Karjan, Gujarat, to Kandla Port. The necessary permissions were obtained from local administrations, and the cargo was escorted by a dedicated in-house team that assisted in controlling traffic during the operation. Customs clearance and other port formalities were completed in advance using their in-house Customs House Agency.

The transformers were fed directly into the vessel using the heavy lift cranes available in the vessel and were lashed and secured using wire ropes and shackles. The transit time from Kandla port to Haydarpasa port was approximately 26 days, and upon reaching the destination, the transformers were unloaded and received on hydraulic axles.

Since the Haydarpasa port did not have a heavy-duty crane, we arranged for two private cranes with a lifting capacity of 500 MT each. The transformers were then loaded onto smaller river vessels for further transportation to Turkmenbashi port in Turkmenistan through the Volga-Don shipping canal. Some of the transformers were also transported from Turkmenbashi to a few sites by train.

The cargo sailed after canal closure time from Kandla to Haydarpasa port, and further transportation by river was restricted due to the freezing and seasonal closure of the Volga River during winter for six months. To ensure the safe storage of the transformers, NTC covered the storage facilities for these sensitive transformers at Haydarpasa port for six months until the shipping canal opened for traffic and transported them to Turkmenbashi.

During the movement of the cargo towards Turkmenbashi, the Russia-Ukraine war started, and due to the limited sailings towards the Black Sea and considering the project schedule, we proactively arranged for vessels to transport packages to the destination port. 

With extreme planning and forecasting of various operational feasibility in different countries, along with the expertise of our dedicated team, a challenging and time-bound shipment of transformers was successfully delivered