Petrochemical

Optimizing productivity

Whether you want to plan every lift of a shutdown before the first bolt is turned, identify the benefits of modularization by analyzing the complete logistical chain for your project, or evaluate your plant design to optimize the construction schedule, our early involvement will greatly contribute to your project’s success. This is because engineered heavy lifting and transport, although not usually the biggest expense, can have a disproportionally large influence on the efficiency of a project – especially when remote locations are involved. By keeping your project on track, Mammoet will help ensure the plant goes into productivity on time. In the case of turnarounds, shutdowns or relocations, our contribution can be crucial in minimizing downtime and lowering costs. 

Safety and efficiency

Alongside our ability to optimize your project at the planning and design phase, we can reliably, swiftly and safely execute the operation. Our professionals combine a focus on getting the job done with a stringent approach to safety. The can-do attitude of our global team of professionals, our engineering expertise and our state-of-the art equipment always deliver a safe and high-quality execution – meeting, and even beating, deadlines for clients around the world. After all, in the highly competitive environment of refineries and chemical plants, time is the currency that matters most. 

Global capacity 

Our experienced teams have carried out major petrochemical construction projects around the world, and Mammoet has lifting equipment capable of addressing a broad range of requirements. Across all markets our safety focus meets, and even exceeds, local regulations. We have a network of shipping contacts around the world, alongside strong relationships with port and transport authorities to help ensure all the necessary paperwork is arranged. 

Transportability

Many of the logistical limitations for transporting oversized and heavy items are defined by the location of the refinery or chemical plant construction site. Transporting components and modules from the manufacturing facility to the construction site might require an integrated chain of logistical activities with multiple handover points between different modes of transportation.

If not properly planned and managed, these handovers can have a huge impact on cost and timeline. The most efficient routes need to be determined for all items and ways must be found to deal with infrastructural bottlenecks, while complying with all local rules and regulations. The overall logistics plan needs to address each change in transportation mode in detail to ensure the components arrive in sequence for installation.

Productivity

Further optimization of the construction schedule can be realized by analyzing all horizontal and vertical moves across the refinery or chemical plant site to determine the right amount and type of lifting equipment and resources are on hand. By optimizing equipment and resource utilization, engineered heavy lifting and transport experts can make a project more cost effective. For example, in some cases one large crane can replace multiple smaller cranes and optimize utilization schedules while minimizing mobilization and demobilization activities.

Preparing for success

Connecting construction approach, transportability and productivity, and finding the optimum relationship between them, requires early collaboration between construction engineers and Mammoet’s professionals. Potential transport and installation bottlenecks can be identified early and creative engineering solutions applied to overcome them. Our professionals can undertake a thorough analysis of construction methods and find the most efficient dimensions and weights of components and modules for chemical plant or refinery construction. This analysis takes into account the best transport routes, on-site logistical possibilities and the necessary amount and type of heavy lifting and transport equipment needed for installation. These different methods are then assessed for their risks and cost/benefit implications. Through early collaboration, joined-up planning can move deadlines forward, reduce costs and ensure an overall smooth, safe and on-time execution of the petrochemical construction project.

Stepping from a creative logistical solution to a flawless execution requires engineering skills, heavy lifting and transport expertise, and a comprehensive fleet of equipment suitable for the loads. The end result is an optimal logistical chain for all individual oversized and heavy items in alignment with the overall project plan.

Factory-to-foundation logistics

Along the logistical chain, land and water-based transport solutions may be used, often involving different operators with their own separate transport plans, equipment and workforces. A fragmented logistical chain can lead to delays and additional costs, such as demurrage charges, when transporting oversized and heavy items. With Mammoet your project benefits from our integrated approach, and our professionals will sequence and manage all logistical activity for maximum efficiency.

Mammoet’s factory-to-foundation (FtF) service brings the advantage of working with one specialist in charge of all the logistics for oversized and heavy items. This starts by picking up the reactor, distillation tower, coke drum or module at its manufacturing site and ends with installation at the construction site. With us managing the entire logistical supply chain it is possible to optimize operations, avoid delays and increase the efficiency of transport by road, water and rail. This includes efficiently processing required documentation for border crossings and obtaining abnormal load permits.

Our FtF service ultimately delivers a tailor-made and optimized logistical chain, minimizes the number of handover points, and ensures smooth handling between different modes of transport. This reduces or eliminates demurrage charges and ensures all components and modules arrive on time and in the right order for on-site installation.

Critical path contingencies

Equally important, our centralized approach means contingencies can be made when required, contributing to safer construction while adhering to schedules and budgets.

Construction projects are often subject to change. For example, the delay of a reactor, distillation tower or coke drum can potentially disrupt the overall installation sequence. If surrounding construction work is placed on hold while waiting for the delayed item, the entire construction process, project schedule and budget may be compromised. A carefully planned delivery schedule for key components can minimize the risks of such delays. If an unexpected change occurs, it is essential to get the project back on track as swiftly and safely as possible.

Our engineered heavy lifting and transport experts will have an integrated plan to protect the critical path and will develop engineered solutions to neutralize or mitigate delays and their knock-on effects. Mammoet’s expertise, combined with a broad overview of the entire schedule and the availability of a large pool of skilled people and specialized lifting equipment, enhances flexibility. Our access to these resources means schedule changes can be accommodated while maintaining maximum utilization across the site.

Our familiarity with petrochemical plants and their safety procedures is particularly valuable since expansions and alterations that occur over time tend to make refineries and chemical plants more complex and congested. Certain equipment and components become hard to access with heavy lifting and transport equipment. Mammoet has extensive experience working on refineries and chemical plants, with established knowledge of the specific requirements for each type of site. Consequently, we offer a highly efficient and professional heavy lifting and transport service in petrochemical plant maintenance.

Long-term relationship

A strong long-term maintenance relationship with a single engineered heavy lifting and transport specialist like Mammoet will help to build trust, enhance the efficiency of administrative systems and lead to deep plant familiarity. All of these aspects lead to streamlined daily maintenance and can reduce downtime for scheduled works, inspection, replacement or expansion work.

Comprehensive plant know-how, combined with on-demand expertise, equipment, permits and safety training, results in minimal disruption to the live environment and optimized plant uptime during petrochemical maintenance work.

Heavy lifting and the critical path

The timely execution of the tasks by various contractors is often dependent on the removal of decommissioned components, and the transport, lifting and installation of their replacements. That puts engineered heavy lifting and transport specialists like Mammoet directly on the critical path of the turnaround operation. The highest level of integration of all tasks and activities can only be reached by involving our engineered heavy lifting and transport professionals early in the planning process.

A detailed plan for all engineered heavy lifting and transport activities across an entire turnaround operation identifies opportunities to shorten the critical path – reducing the period of scheduled downtime as well as optimizing equipment utilization. We will carry out a thorough survey of the site’s accessibility for lifting and transport equipment and loads, and analyze the entire chain of related tasks and activities.

Good access is not guaranteed. Over time refineries and chemical plants tend to become more complex and congested through expansions, alterations and additions to the processing equipment. In many cases, Mammoet can find creative engineering solutions that overcome these obstacles and challenges using our extensive variety of lifting and transport equipment and the expertise of our operators.

Planning, time and safety

During execution, our team of skilled and well-trained people will work continuously in shifts to realize the projected schedule. Detailed coordination and communication between all parties, sharing information and strict compliance with all safety standards are essential to avoid delays. This requires an integrated shutdown team, including experienced key contractors, working towards a common goal: safely maintaining the schedule.

Working with engineered heavy lifting and transport specialists that have longstanding experience on different refinery sites and chemical plants leads to the smooth and timely execution of a turnaround. Mammoet’s expertise brings the flexibility to respond effectively to contingencies that could potentially disrupt the critical path, making sure the refinery or chemical plant will go back into production on time.

During execution, our engineered heavy lifting and transport equipment and expertise provide safe and flawless on-site transportation and installation. In addition, we have the flexibility to respond quickly to unforeseen changes that could potentially disrupt the critical path or impact the live environment.

Site-wide coordination

Disruptions are further reduced and overall project efficiency increased thanks to our development of an integrated approach to heavy lifting and transport across the site. With Mammoet as your one point of contact and coordination, managing a single pool of equipment and operators, lifting activities can be aligned and optimized during the expansion work. This keeps schedules efficient, maximizing effective utilization of equipment and labor. It will also reduce the amount of equipment needed on-site, limiting disruption and lowering costs.

Having one dedicated team of professionals closely coordinating all heavy lifting and transport activities ensures the highest standards of safety in the live plant environment. This minimizes the risk of incidents and the downtime that can result, and means the expanded refinery or chemical plant can be brought back online as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

Mammoet can assist you from the very beginning of the refinery or chemical plant relocation process. Our experience is vital in determining the size and weight limits of each component to efficiently lift, transport and re-install them at the new location. Through close cooperation in the early planning and design stage, our engineered heavy lifting and transport specialists can define the engineering parameters and develop an optimal logistical process.

The logistics of plant relocation

Next, it will be up to us to meet that logistical challenge. All modules and components will need to be lifted and transported to the new location safely and undamaged. The locations of both the original and the new site will each present logistical limitations. Our engineered heavy lifting and transport experience is pivotal in realizing the most efficient logistical process.

Route studies help identify logistical bottlenecks, enabling us to avert or mitigate risks and to find the safest and most efficient route. The logistical plan also needs to ensure all modules and components arrive in the right order and at the right time at the new location for efficient re-construction of the plant, while optimizing the use of shipping space. The logistical analysis needs to take into account on-site logistical possibilities and the capacity and reach of different lifting equipment for dismantling at the old location and reconstruction at the new site.

Decommissioning petrochemical plants

When a refinery or chemical plant reaches the end of its economic or technical lifecycle, certain vessels and components may still be suitable for re-use. Or they may require dismantling under special conditions in a contained environment. In either case, before the plant is demolished, engineered heavy lifting and transport specialists can remove and transport these items to support the most cost-effective decommissioning within safety and environmental regulations.