Streamlining processes on the world's largest project

Gorgon is the single biggest LNG investment in history. When completed, it will be one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas plants, providing 15 million tons of LNG per year from Barrow Island, a Class A Nature Reserve in Australia.

This environmentally sensitive project requires a heavy lifting and transport partner with the engineering capacity, expertise, and fleet of equipment to safely manage the offloading and installation of the many modules that arrive - and without any compromise to the stringent Quarantine Management System.

Chevron has approved Mammoet as their Gorgon partner for the engineered heavy lifting and transport activities. Among other qualifications, deep experience with Australian quarantine practices made Mammoet the right choice for the Gorgon team. Mammoet is responsible for lifting, transportation, and installation of all modules, the biggest of which weigh as much as 6,200 tons. All tasks must be completed with no compromise to the complex Gorgon Quarantine Management System (QMS) – with some 300 procedures, checklists, and guidelines. The philosophy is simple: zero tolerance for the introduction of non-indigenous species. All Gorgon modules must undergo the QMS process.

In addition, every single piece of Mammoet equipment - large and small, new and used - has to go through the same inspection. For this job, Mammoet is planning and executing hundreds of subprojects: load-outs, load-ins, transport, and installation activities.

The challenge is to complete each one safely and according to schedule. A good example is the unloading of the carrier Mega Trust that arrived at the port on December 1st, 2013, carrying two LNG train modules – at 5520 and 1409 tons each.

After the ship’s berthing and removal of sea-fastenings and grillage, Mammoet professionals began offloading the modules with 264 axle lines of SPMT. All cargo had to undergo two days of QMS before transport to the site, where the modules were lifted and aligned with previously installed modules. As soon as their position was perfect, each module was jacked down and ready for integration – well within the available timeframe.

Mammoet will ultimately handle 400,000 tons of modules for Gorgon. Mammoet’s broad and unparalleled fleet and expertise are helping Chevron build Gorgon while keeping Barrow Island safe and green.

Chevron has received the United Nations Environmental Best Practice Award for the Gorgon Project Quarantine Management System. Mammoet is proud to be part of this remarkable project, for which it has received several safety awards.