Sarens Move 48 Modules for Sarawak Petchem Methanol Project in Bintulu

With the new Sarawak Petchem Methanol Project in Bintulu, Malaysia nearing completion, Samsung Engineering entrusted Sarens with the load-in, land transport, and installation of 48 modules that make up the factory. In addition to the onshore heavy transport of these 26m x 47m x 25m modules, Sarens was also charged with heavy lifting work of various components, including process unit modules and columns, using its CC8800-1, CC2800, and CC2400 cranes.

One of the 1,571t modules transported by Sarens

As part of this operation, in January of 2023, Sarens began by loading in the 1,571t modules at the jetty, where they had arrived from Vietnam via seven barges. The crew then transported them approximately one kilometre using a transport configuration of three 36-axle Kamag SPMTs. These were then reconfigured to six 22-axle lines at the foundation area, where the crew would execute a transverse movement installation onto the foundations.

Sarens conducted careful and stringent engineering and planning before and throughout the operation, accounting for the soft and often unsuitable ground at the foundation site. To mitigate this, the team laid steel plates along the SPMTs’ transport and installation path, which included a 250m uphill slope at about a 2,4% gradient.

With the new plant’s completion in March 2023, the Sarawak Methanol Project is expected to nearly double Petronas Chemical Group’s production in Malaysia. Sarens is proud to have been part of this pivotal project and congratulates everyone who helped to make it a success!

Featured Title photograph

Sarens moving a pipe rack module at an earlier stage of the project, last year

Source Sarens