Mission impossible successful

Early January, the client called a meeting in Longyearbyen to discuss the possibility of installing a new port facility near the Svea coal mine, in Sptizbergen.
After two days of travelling we arrived in a land of complete darkness.

A good layer of snow was on the runway and the pilots explained us that they were very much used to this type of situations. Coming out of the plane was uneasy, as a bitter cold wind was greeting our arrival with large tick flakes. Due to a decision of the client, we were not asked to go to the mine area as no one was sure that we would be able to make it back due to bad weather conditions. The meetings took then place in the client’s offices in Longyearbyen.

During the first discussions with the client it became apparent that very strict delivery dates would be required in order to comply with the stringent weatherconditions of the area and the fact that it was of the utmost necessity that the coal being produced be exported during the same year. Normally such machines are delivered FOB port of export in a time frame of eleven to thirteen month there is to be added travelling time
on the ship, unloading and erection which could is such area be as much as two and a half month.

In this case the client made it clear that he wished that the machine with the complete conveyor belt installation should be commissioned by July 15th, as the first ship could be loading coal at such date.

We then inquired about the possibilities coalat such date. We then inquired about the possibilities of crane hiring in the area and were informed that the largest one would be a 25 ton crane.

Furthermore, the client did not have a suitable existing jetty and that such will have to be constructed to allow shiploader erection.
We decided then that due to all these conditions that the only possible solution would be to erect and test the machine somewhere at a port and load it onto a ship or a barge to bring it in due time to the site thus leaving sufficient time for a partial jetty construction long enough to accommodate the shiploader in the beginning

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE STARTS

On January 21 the agreement was signed and then Mission Impossible started. Due to all client and weather constraints, the machine had to be redesigned practically from scratch. The long lead items purchase orders were placed within the month of January, and the structural manufacturer was selected right away, not on price but on delivery capabilities. The drawings were fed to the structural shop as soon as they became available.

Of course, the client had waived its right to comment on the drawings, but this was even more bearing on us since the site conditions had never been dealt with by our engineers.

Mid of April, the client visited the structural manufacturing shop and saw already many large structures being completed. Although the battle was not won yet, he was somewhat reassured that we were in the right direction. The port of Gdansk was chosen for erecting the machine on the grounds that the structural steel shop was Polish, and that the port of Gdansk is on the North Sea.

The erection took two month but mostly due to the fact that importing goods into Poland is not so easy and requires much time and efforts.

THE VOYAGE TO THE POLE

When finally the ship arrived several days after originally planned, it wasa brand new ship who made its maiden voyage with our machine, our shiploader was fully tested and inspected everything was fine.
The only parts that could not be installed onto it were one counterweight brace that the shipping engineers informed us we should not attach because of interference with the cranes manoeuvring, the seventy tons counterweight and the telescopic loading tube with its belt slinger.
These last items could create unsafe conditions during the journey at sea. The shiploader was lifted on deck by the own cranes of the heavy-lift carrier and lashed heavylift carrier and lashed down to the deck using numerous cables and manilas.

We departed on the evening of July 9th and after an eight hours interruption due to some bolts shearing from the ship engine exhaust pipe, and some heavy winds along the Norwegian shores we came to see the Spitzbergen Island in the night of July 12th to 13th. No it was not night but daylight since at these times there is permanent daylight in the Polar Circle. We finally reached our final destination around eight in the morning and were greeted by the client who could not believe his eyes. Three days before the rail tracks were not even installed on the short portion of jetty that was in the process of being built. Unloading took until seven in the evening and then we had twenty four hours on hand to use the ships cranes for completing the erection.

The brace and the counterweight were attached to the machine the same night, and the next day the loading spout and the belt slinger were attached. The cable reel cable was connected to the feeding point and electrical connections were made to the loading spout. At three in the afternoon, the ship left and small tests were carried on.

On July 8th, the shiploader was already tested and completely erected except for the counterweight box and loading chute with belt slinger, as well as one of the counterweight braces all these items that could endanger the safety of the journey at sea while sailing to the Spitzbergen Island final destination Svea.

The ship arrived late afternoon and the loading took the major portion of the night, and lashing, another twelve hours.
On our journey to final destination, we had to cross under the new bridge connecting Sweden to Denmark. The bridge is only 55 meter above sea level and optically it looked as we were not going to clear the bottom of the bridge. A rapid calculation shiploader height about 35 meters plus ships height unknown but estimated at least 15 meters above deck, prompted us to brace ourselves for the impact. Of course, the shipping agency had checked all this before and the Captain let his ship go at the full speed of 22 Knot to its encounter.

Finally we passed and pressure dropped. On our journey, after some hardship due to a failure of the bolts attaching the exhaust pipe to the main ship engine, and staying for eight hours on the anchor, we were blessed with force 7 and 8 winds along the Norwegian shores for a full day.
On July 13th early morning, we have entered the Van Mijen Fjord and are sailing in between two rows of glaciers covered mountains.

Daylight is 24 hours in this zone at that time of year.