Sarens Moves Big Pipe Racks 11 Miles for Shintech Expansion

Dec. 22, 2021 - Sarens has carried out an essential job during an expansion at Shintech, a company responsible for 35% of PVC production in the United States.

Sarens was contacted by APTIM, the company supplier, to transport 24 pipe modules, each 101’x44’x45’, from Shintech's Lake Charles, Louisiana, plant to its new facility in Plaquemine, Louisiana, 11 miles away.

Sarens encountered a variety of challenges on this job. The main one was the high level of coordination required to perform this transportation.

Sarens had to work out a plan that could include the restrictions of the electric company, the city of Plaquemine, the state of Louisiana, the railroad company, Shintech, and the owners of sugarcane fields along the route.

To transport the cargo, it was necessary to cross railroad tracks, which was allowed only before 8 a.m.

The electric company could not provide service to lift the power lines on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, so the window of time for transportation was very limited.

In addition, Sarens had to build an 80’ temporary bridge to cross sugarcane plantation, for which 2,500 mats were stacked to improve road conditions and ensure safe transportation of the modules. Sarens completed the project successfully.

The pipe modules were loaded and secured on trucks and 100 lines of SPMTs to reach the river, where the modules were loaded onto two 250’x54’ barges for transportation across Lake Charles.

Once at their final destination, the modules were unloaded and transported across sugarcane fields and roads, a two-day journey, to Shintech's VCM 3 factory in Plaquemine.

At the new plant, the pipe modules were unloaded and set over anchor bolts.

Shintech is the world's leading PVC producer and the supplier of 35% of domestic PVC demand in the United States. This company has the advantage of centralizing the production of chlorine and ethylene, which are necessary for PVC production.