SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN (B)26 Jan 2024 10:50
Warning - A long thread but an explainer to the Thai Oils challenges.
WHY BEING ADAPTABLE WAS SO IMPORTANT ON THE THAI OIL SRIRACHA REFINERY PROJECT
WORDS CHRISTINA McPHERSON
PUBLISHED JANUARY 2023
When it comes to logistics, planning is of course paramount. But it’s also important to be able to adapt, react and respond to the situation unfolding on the ground.
This was particularly true for the Thai Oil Sriracha Refinery project.
The site itself is surrounded on all sides – by a forest on one side, the community of Sriracha on the other, as well as by a complex transport network. Heavily congested, and with a finite amount of space available, the engineering packages had to arrive in a particular order for installation – a challenge in itself.
But as they say, the best-laid plans go astray. When the pandemic struck, the team had to think on their feet and respond to lots of moving parts.
“The modules were being built in different places: China, India, Philippines, Thailand,” explains Logistics Manager Sindhu Dasan. “Each country enforced lockdowns at different times, so we didn’t know what modules were going to be ready when, and our plans were in turmoil. We had to create another sequence, and there were then daily and weekly changes depending on what could shipped.”
While the effects of the pandemic have somewhat eased and the team are three quarters of the way through deliveries, there have been other logistical challenges on the project.
Let’s take a look at some of the other unique factors that required precision planning – and sometimes a backup plan.
1. PREPARING THE MODULES FOR TRANSPORTATION
The logistics involved in transporting two giant modules illustrate some of the careful planning required. The first module was the Radiant section of the Steam Methane Reformer package, an integral part of the Hydrogen Manufacturing Unit (HMU) of the refinery and fabricated in China. It was too big for transportation, so it was cut in half at the fabrication yard to be transported as two separate units. The two units were then welded back together at site. Another was Petrofac’s heaviest module on the project, the Pipe Bridge Rack (PBR-109-301) – weighing in at 1,030 metric tonnes and 27m in height. Fabricated in India, the module was too tall for shipping, so its leg columns were cut, and the module lowered at the yard. It was then raised to the required height at site. The original ground plan stipulated that the Pipe Bridge Rack module had to be transported before the Reformer module (check why?). However, halfway through fabrication, the team realised the latter would be ready first. They immediately drew up alternate plans to move the module after the Reformer was installed and work around it.
Sign In
Follow the stocks
