Goldhofer Self-Propelled Transporters Power Mammoet Mission in Texas

May 18, 2022 - Heavy lift specialist Mammoet was contracted to transport seven refinery reactors from Houston, Texas, to an ethylene-to-alkylate plant in Pasadena, Texas.

The vessels, which had been shipped from Spain, were offloaded from the ship in the port at Houston and loaded onto a transporter made up of 48 Goldhofer PST/SL and THP/SL heavy-duty axle lines in a 4-file combination (1+1) of 24 axle lines, each with a 330-USt turntable.

“We chose this configuration because the route imposed limits in terms of width and length with these approximately 197’ long vessels, and this is the most compact and flexible transport combination,” says Mammoet’s project manager Marcel Kooyman.

The largest of the seven reactors, a deisobutanizer, weighed over 484 USt, and measured about 200’ in length by 21.2’ in diameter. It challenged the skills of the entire transport team as well as the vehicle configuration.

Still, a third trailer was needed only for crossing two bridges. Mammoet placed it underneath the middle of the vessel to better distribute the load’s weight and avoid overloading the bridges.

As a result, this mammoth transport was able to cover the 20 miles to Pasadena in the fastest possible time and without any major difficulty.