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January 2011 www.marinelink.com 5 PROJECT PROFILE DOCKWISE AND THE KONIAMBO PROJECT Dockwise Delivers for Koniambo Project What is the Koniambo Project? Frank Berrens Dockwise was selected as the con- tractor of choice for the transport and logistical man- agement of 15 onshore modules for the Koniambo Nickel Project. Once complete, the Koniambo plant will be one of the largest nickel producers in the world, and the site’s facilities will include a mine, process plant, power station, water supply facilities, a port, ore and coal storage stockpiles, slag and ash stockpiles, and overland ore conveyors. Future expansion could take ad- vantage of the large resource base, which has an esti- mated life of more than 50 years. The modules for the process plant were constructed in Qingdao, China and transported to the new plant site near Vavouto New Caledonia. The fifteen modules were transported via multiple consecutive voyages onboard the Dockwise T-Class vessels the Trustee and the Trans- porter. The modules were then further transported in- land to the Koniambo Nickel site, where they will be stacked three high into two towers and assembled to form one huge nickel processing plant. The Koniambo plant will be one of the largest nickel producers in the world and remains on track for the first ore to be processed in mid 2012, ramping up to an an- nual capacity of 60,000 metric tons of nickel in fer- ronickel within the following two years. What was special about the Koniambo Project? This project was a 24/7 experience – and our chance to really showcase our engineering and logistical manage- ment expertise. Our engineering team’s passion, relia- bility, as well as a mutual respect for the knowledge of others and of different cultures enabled us to go where no man has gone before with the Koniambo Project. An innovative aspect of the Koniambo Project was that we used our T-Class vessels the Trustee and the Transporter for the first time for a so-called side load out. What was a challenging aspect of this project ? We provided the innovative solutions needed for a crit- ical aspect of this project: Resolving the ballasting chal- lenges of keeping a large vessel level with the quayside during the load out, in which the tall modules are rolled on by means of self-propelled modular transport (SPMT) at the yard in Qingdao, China, where a consid- erable tidal range exists. Well, you can imagine the chal- lenge of keeping the decks of the vessels exactly level with the quayside when we are rolling about 3,800 tons of cargo onboard in one operation. The large Koniambo modules were rolled on by means of SMPT’s from the quay onto the deck to position them within millimeter accuracy. This was a unique and amazing project to be a part of. What was another unique aspect of this project? While every project has its unique aspects, what stands out for me was that Dockwise also provided the detailed engineering of grillages and sea fastenings to ensure the safe transport of each of the 15 modules. This was not a small job and we managed to do this within the allotted time by setting up a joint effort between our engineers in Houston, Breda, and China. This passionate team of globally located engineers, working closely with our client, enabled us to deliver time and again the high stan- dards of quality this project demanded. The Koniambo voyages began in August 2010 and are expected to be completed in November. Dockwise operates the largest fleet of specialized vessels in the world: A versatile fleet of 19 semi-submersible, heavy transport vessels of dif- ferent concepts and designs. Dockwise provides spe- cialty services in the Heavy Marine Transport, Transport & Installation, and Logistical Management Industries. For more information, visit www.dockwise.com Frank Berrens joined Dockwise in 2006 as a Project Manager. He is a former officer and master in the mer- chant Navy, who has traveled the seven seas in just about everything that floats before working in various man- agement positions “ashore”. “When I came to Dock- wise, it felt great to be working on the edge of technology in the maritime world.” There’s a lot of nickel in New Caledonia. Koniambo Nickel SAS, in a joint venture between Société Minière du Sud Pacifique (SMSP), and Xs- trata Nickel are constructing a metallurgical facility in the northern part of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Dockwise Project Manager Frank Berrens offers his perspective on the unique and challenging aspects of the Koniambo Project. Frank Berrens Resolving the bal- lasting challenges of keeping a large ves- sel level with the quayside during the load out, in which the tall modules are rolled on by means of self-propelled modular transport (SPMT) at the yard in Qingdao, China, where a considerable tidal range exists.
