CASES

PNG LNG PROJECT
cargosuper market
‘A project of this scale has never
been attempted within PNG.
The infrastructure one takes for
granted in a developed Oil & Gas
environment was not present’
project in putting together a unique trailer
loading and off-loading concept to reduce
the overall ground handling times for the
aircraft, ensuring a quick turn-around time
of the An-124. Volga-Dnepr’s technical
capability and loading concepts were a key
factor in it winning the ‘airbridge’ contract
and deugro was able to compliment this
with our specialised hydraulic trailers
specifically imported into PNG to execute
the heavy haul scope of works for the
project.
“deugro’s Technical Engineering
Department worked closely with Volga-
Dnepr’s technical team to formulate a
modular hydraulic trailer-design providing
sufficient incline and deck strength to
successfully create a direct link between
the An-124 ramp and trailer, thereby
eliminating the need for additional ramps
and cranes which ultimately add to the
operational cost, safety risk and turnaround
time per flight.”
Additional work was conducted by the
airline to minimise the empty weight of the
An-124-100 aircraft, tooling and packaging
equipment to maximise the opportunities
offered by the freighter’s cargo capacity
and Volga-Dnepr also developed solutions
to ensure the appropriate maintenance of
aircraft at Port Moresby airport during
the project.
After five years of planning, Volga-Dnepr’s
first An-124 flight touched down on the
new runway at Komo Airfield on May
3rd 2013. A sense of great pride and
achievement was felt by everyone involved
in the project – but this was just the start of
an intensive flying programme.
Over the next 103 days, 88 Volga-Dnepr
An-124 cargo flights safely transported
6,000 tons of equipment and materials that
would help to turn an ambitious project
plan into a reality. For Volga-Dnepr, it was
mission accomplished.
Dennis Gliznoutsa, Vice
President, Development
at Volga-Dnepr Airlines,
said: “This project was
complex and an interesting
logistics challenge and
we are proud to have
worked in partnership
with our colleagues at ExxonMobil and
deugro. Papua New Guinea is a country
that has challenging climatic conditions,
including highlands with frequent fog. We
are proud to have successfully and safely
completed this project by overcoming all
of these difficulties and by once again
demonstrating our expertise in the safe
delivery of unique and outsize cargo. For
us it was not only a commercial project
but the opportunity to test ourselves again.
Participation in this project has also helped
us to strengthen our cooperation with
regular customers and to acquire potential
partners.”
The ‘airbridge’ supplied the main logistics
solution for the Hides Gas Conditioning
Plant in that it allowed the project to
deliver most of the major equipment
required to complete the project by
avoiding the 800km road between Lae
and the plant. The equipment transported
on the An-124-100s included the Main
Compressors, Gas Turbine Generators,
Pressure Vessels, Heat Exchangers and all
of the Equipment Rooms for the process
facility.
In 2014, ExxonMobil will deliver its first gas
supplies to consumers in Asia – proving
once again that by combining the best
human spirit, endeavour and engineering,
there is no logistics challenge that cannot
be overcome.