Longest turbine blades transported in Africa

Each turbine required 13 abnormal loads. Photo: Vanguard

South African heavy transport and industrial installation specialist Vanguard delivered 25 wind turbines, including their record 90 metre long blades, in a 550 km journey.

Vanguard transported them over an eight month period from the Port of Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal to Bethal in Mpumalanga for the Ummbila Wind Farm Project.

For each turbine there were 13 abnormal loads, 10 of which needed police escorts because of their dimensions. The 90 metre blades were the longest ever transported in South Africa.

The wind farm was 550 km from the delivery port. Photo: Vanguard

Other milestones on this project were that it was the first time wind turbines had been discharged at the Port of Richards Bay and it was the first time their components had been transported in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, Vanguard explained.

Going the right way

“Establishing a viable transport route for these loads was a complex undertaking, involving significant route studies, investment and intensive collaboration with authorities at both provincial and district levels across ten jurisdictions,” Vanguard said.

Operations were streamlined in the port by using Vanguard’s purpose-built wind blade shunt trailers. When the components were unloaded from the vessel they were put onto them and taken straight out for delivery. It minimised the need for rehandling.

Components unloaded from the ship onto Vanguard’s special shunt trailers. Photo: Vanguard

More than 50 people from Vanguard worked on the project. They included drivers, trailer operators, crane operators and riggers.

“This project demonstrates what is possible when technical innovation is combined with deep operational experience,” said Ryan Hoskings, Vanguard director. “Transporting the largest wind blades in South Africa is a great achievement for the team and, to the best of our knowledge, the longest to be transported across the African continent. We are proud to have set new benchmarks for wind turbine logistics in South Africa, and to have played a part in advancing the country’s renewable energy capacity.”