MAMMOET WORLD Issue 14 | 201536

Ballasting is an essential part of the process to move a heavy object from land to water.

The task of ballasting may seem simple however there is more to it than meets the eye.

Mission to moveAs construction for the oil, gas and miningindustries moves to more remote locations thefabrication of new plants is increasingly carriedout offsite. Components for new projects suchas offshore platforms and plant modules areoften transported from their fabrication point tosite by water. The movement of these largeloads from their construction location to atransport vessel is a delicate process. Similar tothe launch of a satellite, a seamless executionof each mission is needed to ensure theoperation and its years of planning, preparationand investment are secure.

The basic conceptA load is on the quay side and needs to betransferred to a barge. Ballast water is pumped

out of the barge to keep the barge steady andlevel with the quay side as the weight of theload pushes the barge down in the water �.

Ballast is required at the end of the barge toprevent it from tipping as the load moves onfrom the quay side �.

A roll-on, in stepsOne of Mammoet’s commonly executedoperations involving ballasting is a roll-on/roll-off maneuver, or ‘RoRo’.

Ballast is used to maintain the barge at thesame level as the quay during the roll-onoperation. Water is pumped out at the quayside end of the barge to keep the barge levelas the load is slowly moved on. At the other

PIET EXPLAINSPiet Nooren is a Technical Director inMammoet USA. In this column he shines alight on the different techniques that areregularly used by Mammoet.

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Issue 14 | 2015 MAMMOET WORLD 37

end of the barge, water is pumped in to preventthe barge from tipping �.

Once the load is on the barge and movingtowards the center, water is pumped in at thequay side end and pumped out at the other endto keep it balanced �.

Managing the conditionsManeuvering a load on board a barge requiresmeticulous weight and pumping calculations. Thesize and length of the load and the strength ofthe dock all have a big impact on the operation.

Ballasting is also effected by local conditionssuch as tide, swell and the size of waves, theweather and other environmental factors. It onlytakes one small change in the conditions, a large

wave or gust of wind, to risk unsettling thedelicate balancing act.

Just like a satellite launch, the situation must bemonitored continuously and the local conditionsmanaged to execute the operation as smoothlyas possible. This is where experience and theartistry of ballasting come together. n

Capacity of close to60,000 tons per hour.

The size and length of the load and the strength of

the dock all have a big impact on the operation.

Prevent from tipping as the loadmoves on from the quay side.

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