Heavy Lift Ships Start Moving Refinery Upgrading Cargo

The Jumbo-SAL-Alliance (JSA) commenced its scope of work in the Basrah Refinery Upgrading Project for JGC Corporation, when Jumbo Javelin loaded the first of 19 transports at Dahej India.

In total, the project will see the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance undertake the transportation of 450,000 frts of cargo. Jumbo Kinetic, with two 1,500 t cranes, and SAL Heavy Lift’s MV Svenja, with two 1,000 t cranes will be dedicated to the project for the duration.

The two vessels, with deadweight tonnage of 14,000 t and 12,500 t respectively, are strong enough to handle all modules and small enough to be able to access the restricted Morimatsu plant in Nantong, China, where much of the cargo will be loaded.

In addition to the two vessels committed to the project, the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance will provide vessels to conduct additional five voyages Conducting consecutive runs, the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance will transport a range of items from locations in India, China, Thailand, and Korea. Amongst the cargo will be 80 modules. Here, the Alliance will draw upon its experience of using module lifting frames. This will be applied by using JGC’s in-house designed frame, which is specially developed for lifting modules at the Morimatsu facility.

The shipments will also include transportation of 31 pieces of equipment including a regenerator, vacuum columns, a fractionator, and seven 800 t bullet tanks, each one 82 m in length.

The Refinery Upgrade

JGC is carrying out an EPC scope in the refinery upgrading project on behalf of the South Refineries Company, an energy company under the Iraq Ministry of Oil. JGC’s scope includes construction of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (34,500 bpd capacity), a vacuum distillation unit (55,000 bpd) and a diesel desulfurization unit (40,000 bpd).

The new facility will be located adjacent to the current Basrah refinery and will provide plant facilities that meet the international environmental standards.

Funds for the project have been provided by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It is the largest Japanese assisted reconstruction project since the 2003 Iraq War. For JGC Group, it is the second project in the country since their completion of a power plant reconstruction in 2013.

The upgraded refinery will help to close a supply-demand gap for Petroleum products in Iraq, reducing the country’s dependence on imports. It will also contribute to reconstruction and economic growth, not least in the creation of several thousand jobs both for the construction and operation of the refinery.

Image courtesy the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance (JSA)