56
ACT
MAY 2014
SC&RA
JOBSOF THE YEAR
S
lowly, a gigantic shipunloader
began to take shape at aplant
inNew Iberia, LA.When
completed last year, the 1,000-ton crane
towered181 feet 6 inches high and
stretched211 feet inches longby95 feet 6
incheswide.When fully tested, the crane
performed flawlessly.
But onedaunting task remained–
moving the crane viawaterways to the
Port of LakeCharles, LA, about 97miles
away. BerardTransportation, alsoofNew
Iberia, welcomed the challenge.
TheBerard teampainstakingly loaded
the craneonto adeckbargeusing
steel plating to spread the loadon the
substandard loadout terrain. Flanked
by three tugboats, theunusual load then
proceeded slowly to its final destination,
sometimes passingonly a few feet beneath
highvoltagepower lines.
Further complicating thismoveupon
arrival of the crane at its new, permanent
watersidehomewas theneed to rotate the
crane 90degreeswhileon thebarge to
be inposition to roll off onto an elevated
concretepier. Thismaneuverwas the
equivalent of rolling1,500 tons onto an
elevated concretepilinghighwaybridge.
As the load rolledonto thedock, the team
executed a 90degree left turn at the same
time to lineup the crane’s trucks to the
dock’s rail system.
“Everything from theminiscule
clearances between thepower stations
on thedock, limitedbargewidth and
lackof buoyancy that includedperfect
timingwithhigh tidal conditions added
to the ever changing list of challenges,”
saidBraedonBerard, CEO, Berard
Transportation. “Having toworry about
a vertical center of gravity that towered
75 feet 6 inches greatly increased the
difficultyof this assignment. Another key
was having an experienced teamwith an
outstanding calm,meticulous operator.
The throttle control had tobe veryprecise
andone simplemistakewouldhave led to
a catastrophe.”
The arsenal of equipment deployedby
Berardon this project included52 axle
lines ofGoldhoferESEs, threepower
overseas,” saidDonaldBrinkman, director
of Port Engineering. “Evenmore exciting
is that the shipunloaderwas fabricated
right here inLouisiana.”
ThePort of LakeCharles encompasses
203 squaremiles inLouisiana andowns
andoperates twomarine terminals
and two industrial parks. It is currently
ranked the thirteenthbusiest seaport
district in theU.S. basedon cargo tonnage
according to theU.S. ArmyCorpof
Engineers.
“It tookmanymanhours of engineering,
planning andhardwork to ensure the
jobwent as smoothly as it did,” said
Berard. “Our team came through in fine
style, giving it their all tomake the job
a safe and successful one.We are very
proudof this accomplishment andwe are
extremelyproud tohavebeen chosen for
this prestigious awardof SC&RAMoving
Jobof theYear. This award is a testament
toour team’s dedication tomakingour
companywhat it is andwill continue to
be.”
This project stands tobe awinner for
Berard formany years to come. For the
foreseeable future, the company, which
promotes itself as “TheMegaTransport
Experts since 1945,”will benefit from
thePort’s newoperating efficiencies as it
hauls oversize/overweight loads to and
fromBulkTerminalNo. 1.
■
packs, loading ramps, highvolumewater
pumps, 300-foot by100-foot heavy
transport deckbarge, 40,000pound
winch trucks, barge-mounted65-ton
drumwinches for barge securement and
numerousmats and steel plate for load
spreading.
Adding capacity
Berarddevoted3,893 totalmanhours
to this project and came awaywith zero
injuries. To ensure a safe, successful job,
Berard coordinated its effortswith the
client, anumber of government agencies,
the fabricator, port authorities, water
transportation companies andpower
companies.
The shipunloader crane at Bulk
TerminalNo. 1 immediately enabled
an increase in thePort’s cargo capacity
andhandling efficiencies. The terminal
nowhas twounloaders that canoperate
at the same time. For example, when
discharging cargo from a ship, one crane
will beused toplace thematerial onto
a conveyor belt, while theotherwill be
able to simultaneouslyunload the cargo
directly from ship to truck.
“This projectwas uncommon in that 90
percent of the crane and its components
weremanufactured and constructed in
theUnitedStates becausemost of the
manufacturers for this typeof crane are
MOVING
with Specialized Equipment
Unloader challenge
>58
Berard Transportation
Transporting and installing a giant ship unloader crane required precision planning by
Berard Transportation.
