Components for industrial plants are regularly shipped on board Rickmers-Linie's heavy lift multi-purpose vessels, supporting supply chains for a wide range of industries. In November, Rickmers-Linie carried two coldboxes, which had been manufactured by Linde AG, from Bremen to Jubail in Saudi Arabia. 
Loading onto the ocean vessel Rickmers Chennai took place in Bremen in November. The two 31.44m x 14.00m x 9.50m coldboxes, weighing 359 tonnes each, were lifted onboard by the ship's own cranes. After a voyage of 23 days, Rickmers Chennai arrived at the port of destination, Jubail on the east coast of Saudi Arabia, in late November. Both loading and discharging of the units was coordinated and supervised by the company's own supercargoes. 
KOG Transport AG, a member of the "heavy lift group" and represented by 21 own offices worldwide, took care of all freight forwarding arrangements, such as FOB delivery, sea freight booking and the on carriage up to the construction site.
Linde AG, Linde Engineering Division, the manufacturer and shipper of the two coldboxes, is the only company worldwide which produces, owns and operates synthetic gas plants with its own technology. The two coldboxes are being installed at a plant in Jubail and will be used for the separation of gas during the production of synthetic gas.                      
"The coldboxes are important for the whole project. They are among the most critical components for the construction of the plant, partly due to their dimensions and their long production time. This leads to the highest requirements in reliability, both in terms of time commitments as well as in terms of quality. The professional work of the parties involved in this heavy lift transport was consistent from the bidding phase right through to the final completion of the transport," said Daniel Hain, Discipline Manager Logistics, Linde Engineering. 
"Rickmers was the ideal partner for us. One reason we chose to ship with Rickmers-Linie was the fixed loading and discharge dates, and these were adhered to 100 percent. This is exactly what a successful shipment should be," added Rolf Gubler, Co-Owner and President, KOG Transport AG. 
"With this shipment we again demonstrate our flexibility including, adding additional loading or discharge ports into our liner schedule-in this case, Bremen and Jubail. This enabled us to offer our clients a customised transportation solution and a competitive transit time," said Ulrich Ulrichs, Chief Operating Officer, Rickmers-Linie. 
The 19,100dwt Rickmers Chennai  (built 2012) is deployed in Rickmers-Linie's Europe-Middle East/India service. Like her sister vessel, the Rickmers Dubai (built 2011), she is capable of lifting units up to 800 tonnes with her own gear.