LONG-TERM PROJECTS


cargo


Fayçal: Well, time and information are key. We pride ourselves on our ever-growing knowledge and understanding of our customers and their projects, how they work, understanding their day-to-day work environment, needs and requirements. Involving us at the very early stage allows us to consult and offer new or alternative solutions which they may not have thought of at first. Technical information is key to determine if either the An-124 or the IL- 76TD-90VD is the best solution or to decide if a different airlift combination is the best answer. The objective is always to provide the customer with the right tailor-made airlift and logistics solution, to meet their requirements.


Graham: Consider the operational constraints that any airline may have to work under. In recent years many governmental authorities have created constraining regulations that mean greater lead times need to be given to them by the airline wishing to land or overfly their territory. To counter this there needs to be willingness either to expedite the decision-making process or possibly allow the airline to work in parallel with tentative operational arrangements. There can be large monetary sums involved in logistics operations involving the An-124 so it is expected that an organisation requires careful budgetary considerations. Thinking ahead about ‘what-if’ scenarios can help so that some budgetary costs are known by the customer before a breakdown/shutdown occurs. That may help the financial assessment on whether it is worth flying the cargo or taking the financial hit of a delay in production.


Tak: There are situations where we can face a 10-day operating application period so we encourage customers wherever possible to give us two weeks’ notice of when they need a flight and we use this intervening period to complete a loadability study of the cargo to ensure everything is ready for carriage.


Many ener l


in?


Fayçal: That is true indeed. Volga-Dnepr has been developing and fostering different levels of partnership with key customers in the Energy and O&G sectors as well as in other industries like Aerospace that tend to work more with long-term projects. We have a great deal of expertise in managing long-term projects using our fleet as a core tool and supported by Volga-Dnepr’s engineering and project logistics service capabilities and expertise. Good examples are the well-known BP project in Colombia during the 1990s and last year’s PNG LNG project. These are not the only mid- and long-term projects the company is working with these days. This year saw the realisation of an important project into South Iraq, for example. This project will use a number of our aircraft from now into January 2015. We are also involved in negotiations for a potential project in Saudi Arabia out of the U.S. Our teams based on Russia, the Middle East, Europe and our new office in Hong Kong allow us in the Americas to approach the project market from a global perspective.


gy/O&G pr ong-term pr ojects ar e extr emel


ong-term in their planning befor commence. Can you give an exampl l


oject you have been invol y


e flights e of a ved


super market


‘The expected penalty fees would have exceeded the cost of the equipment itself so the customer decided to transport the cargo by air in order to meet their deadline and avoid big losses.’


Tak: A good example is the movement of plant turbines where Volga-Dnepr was involved in the development of a cradle which is a now a standardised piece of equipment for our customer.


Alexander: Volga-Dnepr operated an An-124 charter flight in February this year to move a runner (working wheel) for the Bratsk HPP. This was the result of almost 11 months of planning, preparation, discussions, etc. The client had never before transported such sensitive cargo using an An-124, so we had to look over every fine detail before operating the flight. To secure the runner during transportation a special frame was designed by Volga- Dnepr’s engineers which can be used for further deliveries of runners to Bratsk HPP planned for later this year.


Can you give some exampl of car


go we ship for ener customers?


Fayçal: The list is long. It may vary from cradled pre-fitted pipes to a control room for an oil rig. Since last year, Blow Out Preventers (known as B.O.P) are more in demand. Other recurring shipments include gas turbines, rotors for the turbines, the famous Xmas tree for subsea equipment … the list is long and extensive. This also includes the transport frame because there are only so many available around the world so to move an 85 ton rotor, we first have to fly the cradle to the point of loading before the rotor can be moved.


We handle entire project moves, which means we move the entire plant or drill rig including all initial supplies as well as tools to re-assemble the rig or plant. This requires the full involvement of our Engineering & Logistics Centre team as we assist our customer by coordinating the entire logistics chain, including packaging and crating, the coordination of trucks and cranes, setting up meetings with all parties involved etc.


Tak: A good example is a 100 ton turbine we transported from Buenos Aires in Argentina to Guangzhou, China.


What is the latest ener have or


ganised?


Maxim: A compressor and spare parts from Japan to Russia using an An-124-100. The cargo was originally planned to be sent by sea but a production delay meant the sea option was too slow to meet the contracted delivery time. The expected


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