200 TRIPS THE DMAMMOET WORLD Issue 13 | 201442

THROUGH ESERT

Issue 13 | 2014 MAMMOET WORLD 43

MAMMOET WORLD Issue 13 | 201444

Mammoet recently finished a big transport job for

Samsung Saudi Arabia, the main contractor for a new

petrochemical plant run by Saudi Aramco. The assign-

ment was to transport equipment from Dammam Industrial Area and

Al Jubail Port in the north, to the new plant in Shaybah, Rub Al Khali

(‘the Empty Quarter’) 1,050 kilometers south of Dammam.

200 trips were made to transport 202 items totheir new home at Shaybah. Each trip would takean 18-man team over winding roads, through thesearing heat of the inhospitable desert terrain.With no facilities along the last 500-kilometrestretch of this journey, the team had to be entirelyself-sufficient. In total, 90 men from 7 nationali-ties (Malaysia, Netherlands, U.K, Pakistan, India,Philippines, Sri Lanka) worked side by side to getthe job done.

This was team work at its finest; driving side byside, looking out for each other’s trucks, andmany occasions where the team had to set upcamp. Sometimes they had to stay put for days onend, waiting for authorities to give clearance for

Frank Bijsterbosch and Muhammad

‘Chacha’ Arshad, Senior Heavy Duty

Truck Driver Mammoet.

The transport including the

accommodation.

Issue 13 | 2014 MAMMOET WORLD 45

power to be cut off so the power lines could beremoved, or blocking the road for other traffic sothe oversized transport could pass.The heaviest item was an amine contactor,weighing 1,084 metric tons. It was the bulkiestand the heaviest object ever to be transported oversuch a long distance.

The Overall Transport Supervisor for the entireassignment was Frank Bijsterbosch. MammoetWorld spoke with him about this job, the team andwhat kind of experience it was for them.

This must have been a massive job, transporting anamine contactor over such a long distance, in that kindof circumstances.Yes, it was a bit of a challenge. We transported iton two hydraulic trailers with 32 axle lines. Thesuspension on the trailers had to be continuallyadjusted to ensure that the weight was distributedsafely.

Just one thing, though, that I’d like to clear up. Infact transporting and installing the aminecontactor was just a small part of the overall jobwe did for Samsung. There were two towers ofabout this weight, and a couple of less heavy butstill bulkier items-but that was just two trips out of200 that we made. All told, we transported 202items across the desert and installed them. Thelightest weighed about 60 tons.”

You were the Overall Transport Supervisor. What didthat involve?“Of course an assignment such as this had to becarefully planned, right from the start. We startedthat about a year before we took the first loadacross the desert. Then, about three months inadvance, I flew over to Saudi Arabia and mademore-detailed preparations. We drove the entireroute a number of times to see where power lineswould need to be removed and where we wouldneed the local police to stop highway traffic forus-that was in the first 400 or so kilometers. Andthen, for the entire trip, I checked the gradient ofthe slopes and what road modifications wouldneed to be made, for instance.”

“We drove the entire route a number

of times to see where power lines

would need to be removed.”

Facts and Figuresn Total number of trips: 200.n Total distance from Dammam Industrial Area to

Shaybah: 1,050 kilometers (652 miles).n In total, we transported 202 items across the

desert and installed them. The lightestweighed about 60 tons.

n The biggest transport was an amine contactor,1,084 metric tons, which was transported ontwo hydraulic trailers and ten prime movers.

n On each trip, the team consisted of 18 peoplefrom 4–5 different countries.

n Traffic between Jubail and Dammam had totake place during night hours, so as not todisturb traffic.

n During the first 400 kilometers (248 miles),power lines needed to be lifted at severalplaces to allow transport to pass.

n The team needed to set up camp regularly.n The transport had to deal with about 150 steep

inclines, ranging from 3 to 8%.n The temperature during the day would

frequently rise to 50º Celsius (122º Fahrenheit).

MAMMOET WORLD Issue 13 | 201446

A lot of planning, then. And did it pay off?“It did. Mammoet had intensive contacts with thelocal authorities, to make sure that everythingwould go as smoothly as possible. But you knowwhat they say about even the best-laid plans: forexample, we would make arrangements ahead oftime with the local police for them to stop trafficat a certain point on a highway. The idea was thatwe would tell them when we expected to arrive atthe designated location, and they would bewaiting for us. However, it happened more thanonce that we would arrive at the designated spotand there would be no police in sight.”

So you would have to wait.“Yes, and not just once, because sometimes therewas a knock-on effect from the first delay: It alsohappened on more than one occasion that thelocal power company would be waiting for us onthe other side of the highway, ready to cut powerlines to make way for our payload. And the hold-up at the highway meant that we could not makeit by the pre-arranged time to the spot where thelines were to be removed. So we would have toreschedule with the power company, and sit tightuntil they came again to cut the lines.”

That had to get frustrating at times.“Yes and no. Of course you want to keep goingand get the job done, but these kinds of things gowith the territory, and naturally we have to buildin some wiggle room in the planning for unex-

pected delays. Sometimes, it meant setting upcamp and staying put for a number of days. Wehad our accommodation truck with us, and itwas very special to see the team with its differentnationalities working together, making the bestof it, doing maintenance and finding other usefulthings to do.”

What can you tell us about living in that kind ofnatural environment for weeks on end?“In a way, each trip we made had two parts to it:the first 400 kilometers or so, where we had tocross highways and, for the few trips with bulkyitems, have power lines removed as I mentioned-

and then there was the remainder of the journey,where there was nothing apart from the road.No places to stock up on food or water, no fuel,no power, no phone signal, and for long stretchesnot even a signal for satellite phones.”

So no communications at all with the outside world.“That’s right. Rub al Khali means “the EmptyQuarter”, a very appropriate name. Even the skyabove us was empty of satellites. So we had to becompletely self-sufficient. We were supplied withfuel and water every couple of days, and theneach evening a team went ahead and set up campat the spot we knew we would be stopping at, sothat everything would be ready when we arrived.”

What was the daily schedule like?“You had to take the heat into account. Duringthe day, temperatures can get up to 50 degreesCelsius in the summer months. To beat the heat,we would get up at 4:00 or 4:30, and drive tillnoon, and then stop till 15:00, when the tempera-ture would start coming down again. Then wewould hit the road again till about 19:00 or 19:30.And each evening we would build a camp fire.”

Nice. So what was the atmosphere like, socially forexample?“This story is primarily about teamwork. Onevery trip, the team consisted of 18 professionals,

Some members

of the team.

Issue 13 | 2014 MAMMOET WORLD 47

from various countries, like The Philippines andPakistan. There was a strong sense of a sharedmission, everyone worked hard by day andshared their food at night. A lot of very skilledcolleagues worked on this project and it made fora very special atmosphere.”

How many trips did you make yourself?“I made about 25 trips, plus the advance trips toset everything up. The other trips were done byseveral other team members, who did anexcellent job.”

How did that play out in practical terms?“Whenever we came across a problem, say inplanning how to get the amine contactor – “theThing”, as we called it – over the sharp crest of ahill (the trailer was 48 meters long!), most of thetime we could solve it ourselves out on the road.

“Rub al Khali means ‘The Empty Quarter’,

a very appropriate name.”

At Shaybah site

Mammoet

lifted all items

into place.

Mostly it was about sharing know-how. But if weneeded extra back-up, then I knew I could makea call to the office and speak to the team backthere to be doubly sure. Whatever the problem,they would check with whoever they needed toin whatever part of the company to find theanswer. They’re as focused on getting a solutionas I am. I have a practical view out here, andthey can complement that back there with theirtheoretical knowledge.”

You almost make it sound easy.“Well now don’t get me wrong: we would oftenhave to improvise or come up with someworkaround. For example, we shortened thetrailer from 53 to 48 meters by putting thepower packs on top instead of at each end. Youcan be flexible about a lot of things, except one,really: getting the job done, and done right.”

So that’s what drives Mammoet on jobs like this?“We heard from the customer that some othercompanies had suggested it was not possible toget the amine towers across the desert, andI have to admit it was no small feat. I think thedrive within Mammoet to achieve what nobodybelieves possible, backed up by our tremendousexpertise allowed us to pull the job off.”

It must have been a great feeling to deliver and installthe last few items.“It was indeed. I was happy when the last few bigitems were on site and we could hand everythingover to our colleagues who did the lifting andinstalling. The customer was really appreciative.It’s at moments like this that you get a real senseof accomplishment, the feeling that all theteamwork has paid off. And it makes all theeffort worthwhile.” n