Sarens Rental Equipment Transports and Lifts “Christmas Trees” in Mozambique
Sarens trucks, trailers, and cranes used to install oil & gas equipment at Nacala Port
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May 2021

When Baker Hughes Mozambique requested Sarens equipment to transport, lift, and position Christmas trees, they weren’t decorating for the holidays, but to test and preparing them for offshore at Coral South Project Area 4. Coral South floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project located offshore Mozambique, in the southern part of Area-4 of Rovuma Basin, is the first FLNG project in Africa. It will be the world's first ultra-deepwater FLNG facility to operate at a water depth of 2,000m where the mentioned “Christmas trees” will be deployed in the first quarter of 2021.

In the oil & gas industry, a “Christmas tree” is a critical equipment unit whose shape resembles that of a festive holiday tree. These 84-tonne “Christmas trees” control the flow of production fluids, diverting them through wing valves and flow lines to keep facilities safe and prevent issues like blockages.

Baker Hughes Mozambique, a corporation of GE’s Baker Hughes, used the following rental equipment to handle, transport, and position its Christmas trees at the Nacala Port in Mozambique: 

A 6x4 truck with 100-tonne low bed trailer
A 250-tonne CC1100 crawler crane in LH 8.74m x 7.25 configuration, with 80-tonne counterweight and 30-metre main boom. 
The equipment was chosen for its reliability and suitability for the job site conditions. To deliver it to its destination, Sarens sent it by sea from the port of Durban, South Africa to Nacala, Mozambique. Additionally, because the job location had no easy access to consumables, Sarens also provided an extra stock of parts and consumables to prevent losing valuable time in case of equipment breakdown. The complete mobilisation took ten days, and the crane is slated to remain onsite for nine seventeen(17) months, through February 2021.

When it was time to assemble the CC1100 crawler crane, Sarens had to get creative: there were no smaller cranes in the region that could assist with assembly, so Sarens engineers designed an assembly solution that involved a 54-tonne car body and tracks with 24 tonnes on top of the low bed trailer, which worked perfectly.

With everything in place, Sarens equipment was tasked with transporting and lifting the 4,6 x 5,8m Baker Hughes Christmas trees. The transport operation has involved eight crew members responsible for monitoring the load weight, road conditions, and obstacles along the busy port and leading to the project site. Lifting has involved five crew members responsible for performing a number of picks and slewing and crawling within a confined space, assuring accurate positioning in an area with wind and nearby electrical cables. This has all been accomplished in extremely hot weather, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius forcing temporary breaks and plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

Sarens is pleased to support this important project on behalf of our client Baker Hughes in Mozambique. 

“The plan and method of statement were made with a focus on team spirit, with professionalism and an easily-available toolbox for everyone involved in the project,” says Mozambique Country Manager Joao Custodio. “We brought an emphasis on safety awareness and our motivated professional experience, which has led to a 100% successful outcome.”