Wilhelmsen Completes Heavy Lift Deliveries to Saudi

Wilhelmsen Ships Service recently finished moving equipment and parts totaling some 32,000 metric tons over difficult roads to the construction site of the new Al Safwa cement plant in Saudi Arabia.

The US$600 million cargoes, delivered to the ports of Jeddah and Yanbu, ranged from heavy lift items weighing up to 180 tons to nuts and bolts. The complex operation covered about 100 miles from Jeddah and 162 miles from Yanbu and ended at six miles of dirt road to reach the cement plant in Al Safwa.

The project took 18 months to complete and involved a road survey, road modifications to accommodate the weight of the cargoes and challenges regarding local regulations and communication.

The cement plant is expected to start production next month and will produce around 2 million tons of cement each year.

Accompanying photo courtesy of Wilhelmsen Ship Services