Rickmers-Linie Delivers Linde Coldboxes to Saudi Arabia
Rickmers-Linie, renowned for transporting industrial plant components, played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth supply chain for various industries. In November, they successfully shipped two colossal coldboxes, manufactured by Linde AG, from Bremen to Jubail in Saudi Arabia.
The loading operation onto the Rickmers Chennai, a heavy lift multi-purpose vessel, took place in Bremen during November. These two coldboxes, measuring 31.44m x 14.00m x 9.50m each and weighing a substantial 359 tonnes, were expertly hoisted onto the vessel using its onboard cranes. After a 23-day voyage, the Rickmers Chennai reached Jubail, situated on Saudi Arabia’s east coast, in late November. The entire process of loading and unloading was meticulously coordinated and overseen by the company’s own supercargoes.
KOG Transport AG, a member of the « heavy lift group » with a global presence through 21 of its offices, managed all the freight forwarding arrangements, including FOB delivery, sea freight booking, and the on-carriage to the construction site.
Linde AG, specifically its Linde Engineering Division, both the manufacturer and shipper of these coldboxes, holds the distinction of being the sole worldwide company producing, owning, and operating synthetic gas plants using its proprietary technology. These two coldboxes will be installed at a Jubail plant for gas separation during synthetic gas production.
Daniel Hain, Discipline Manager Logistics at Linde Engineering, emphasized the significance of the coldboxes in the project: « The coldboxes are pivotal for the entire project, given their considerable size and extended production time. This demands the highest level of reliability, both in terms of meeting deadlines and maintaining quality. The professionalism displayed by all parties involved in this heavy lift transport remained consistent from the bidding phase right through to the final completion of the transport. »
Rolf Gubler, Co-owner and President of KOG Transport AG, expressed his satisfaction: « Rickmers was the perfect partner for us. One of the reasons we selected Rickmers-Linie was their adherence to fixed loading and discharge dates, which were met 100 percent. This is precisely what a successful shipment should entail. »
Ulrich Ulrichs, Chief Operating Officer of Rickmers-Linie, underlined their flexibility and commitment to offering customized transportation solutions: « With this shipment, we once again demonstrate our flexibility, including the addition of extra loading or discharge ports to our liner schedule – in this case, Bremen and Jubail. This enabled us to provide our clients with a tailored transportation solution and a competitive transit time. »
The Rickmers Chennai, with a deadweight of 19,100 tons and built in 2012, is deployed in Rickmers-Linie’s Europe-Middle East/India service. Like its sister vessel, the Rickmers Dubai (built in 2011), it boasts the capability to lift units of up to 800 tonnes using its onboard equipment.
For more details, please visit Rickmers-Linie.
