Amaccao’s Goldwind wind power project entrusted PPL with the complex logistics, including customs procedures, vessel unloading, transshipment, and transportation of 12 wind turbines to the site. Notably, this project utilizes the largest onshore wind turbines in Vietnam, with a tower height of 141.176 meters, blade length of 76.293 meters, and base diameter of 5.534 meters. The MAN truck, a specialized tractor renowned for its exceptional power and reliability, played a crucial role in completing this challenging transportation task.
Unloading oversized wind turbine tower sections from a ship onto the port, preparing for truck transport.
The Challenge of Transporting Oversized Wind Power Equipment
Transporting wind turbine components is no easy feat. Their size and complexity necessitate the use of specialized vehicles such as wind blade trailers, extendable trailers, self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), and especially MAN tractors. An experienced heavy-haul transportation team is essential for ensuring safety and efficiency.
One of the biggest challenges in this project was crossing two long bridges on the transport route: Gianh Bridge (746.4 meters) and Quan Hau Bridge (549 meters), both only 12 meters wide. To overcome this, PPL used 16 hydraulic axle SPMTs. This solution distributes the load evenly across the wheels, reducing pressure on the bridges and ensuring safety when the wind turbine components are transported. All bridges on the route were thoroughly inspected for load capacity, lifespan, and safety before a detailed transportation plan was developed.
Transferring an oversized wind turbine blade from a ship to a specialized vehicle at Hon La port, ready for road transport.
The hilly terrain, with gradients up to 13%, also presented a significant obstacle. The winding, treacherous roads, especially the dirt roads with loose material, posed a risk of landslides. It was in these harsh conditions that the power of specialized MAN trucks, with a towing capacity of 250 tons equivalent to 640 horsepower, was maximized.
A specialized MAN truck entering the staging area, preparing for the next phase of the wind turbine project's transportation.
A convoy of MAN trucks transporting oversized wind turbine tower sections on the road, demonstrating the project's scale and complexity.
On steep sections, to increase traction and ensure safety, PPL innovatively used a second tractor as a puller and a third as a pusher for the same trailer. The nearly 12km long dirt road from the provincial road to the auxiliary yard near the construction site was the biggest challenge, with many continuous curves and varying gradients. Overcoming these sections required experienced and skilled drivers. At PPL, truck drivers must have at least four years of experience driving conventional trucks before being trained to drive MAN trucks transporting oversized cargo, especially wind power equipment.
Through a combination of innovative solutions using multiple tractors, the superior power of MAN trucks, and the experience of the expert team, PPL successfully completed the logistics for the Amaccao wind power project, ensuring progress and optimizing costs. This project once again confirms the indispensable role of MAN trucks in oversized cargo transport projects, especially in the rapidly developing renewable energy sector in Vietnam.
A truck and the PPL team completing the transportation of wind power equipment to Huong Hoa, Quang Tri, marking the success of the project.
Resources Used in the Project
| Equipment |
|---|
| Trailers |
| 16-axle hydraulic self-propelled modular transporter |
| 15-axle hydraulic self-propelled modular transporter |
| 13-axle hydraulic self-propelled modular transporter |
| 6 lowboy trailers |
| 4-axle extendable trailer (46m) |
| 10-axle extendable trailer |
| 2 wind turbine blade transport adapters |
| Specialized Vehicles |
| 2 specialized MAN tractors |
| 4 Hyundai Trago tractors |
| 4 SITRAK tractors |
| Team |
| 45 PPL experts |
