JS Alliance successfully completed the construction project of a liquid cargo berth in India

JSI Alliance successfully completed a major project in India for client Afcons Infrastructure Limited. Afcons was hired to construct a new liquid cargo berth for Gujarat Chemical Port Ltd. (GCPL). JSI Alliance was engaged to perform critical heavy lift operations as part of this project.

The scope of work was complex and required heavy lifting capabilities to install eight piles and fifteen berth dolphins weighing between 500 to 600 tons at a distance of 10 meters. The work was carried out under challenging conditions, as the site was subject to tides of up to 10 meters, resulting in currents of up to 5 knots. Additionally, the seabed consisted of sand, making many traditional mooring solutions unacceptable.

An additional challenge was that the installation site was actively used at the time; all work had to be performed without interrupting the operations of two existing berths. This created significant space constraints and complicated the mooring.

Leveraging the expertise of various internal disciplines, JSI Alliance developed a solution that fully met the project requirements. The alliance mobilized the heavy lift vessel (HLV) Jumbo Javelin.

The heavy lift vessel provided safe and efficient execution of the work, offering a single platform for the transportation and installation of prefabricated structures. Mobilization began on November 3 and lasted for fifteen days. During this period, JSI Alliance equipped Jumbo Javelin with lifting devices that allowed for the necessary lifting operations.

The vessel was also equipped with an eight-point mooring system adapted to the seabed and tidal conditions. To create sufficient holding power in such constrained conditions, 17-ton anchors and mooring lines with diameters of 64 and 52 mm were used, with a minimum breaking strength of around 300 tons per line.

Jumbo Javelin was outfitted with custom-made lifting devices rated for 250 tons. It was decided to install eight lifting devices instead of four to provide a backup line, ensuring safety and reliability.

To absorb significant forces associated with the operations, it was necessary to reinforce the vessel with additional steel. The installation of the mooring system required support from auxiliary vessels with sufficient power for the heavy components. These vessels had to perform the mooring installation within a four-hour tidal window when the current was at its lowest speed.

After connecting to the mooring system, Jumbo Javelin remained in place for several days, allowing for uninterrupted mooring operations.

The first loading began on December 3 at the Diggi port. In total, Jumbo Javelin made six trips. The last element was installed on March 14, after which the vessel headed to Diggi port for demobilization, which took only seven and a half days.

After that, Jumbo Javelin went to Singapore to return the equipment to the suppliers. Unloading was completed in two days, and the project was fully completed on April 6.