MWS and Marine Consultancy for GCGV
Project title: MWS and Marine Consultancy for GCGV
Project location: China, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, USA
Client: Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC
Dates: 2019 – 2022
Services:
- Marine & Engineering Consultancy
- Surveys, Inspections and Audits
- Marine Warranty Survey
Project Summary:
The Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV) petrochemical complex is a multibillion dollar joint venture between ExxonMobil and SABIC. The facility utilises a 1.8 million ton ethane steam cracker to produce ethylene, which feeds three derivative units at the complex for the production of Monoethylene Glycol and Polyethylene.
The complex was constructed at a greenfield site near Corpus Christi TX using a modularised construction philosophy, with over 160,000 tonnes of pre-assembled units being shipped from fabricators to the site. These ranged in size from 150t piperacks to process and furnace modules weighing in excess of 10,000t.
The project had a global procurement strategy and used 4 major fabrication contractors, each responsible for the fabrication and shipping of modules for specific areas of the complex. Whilst the majority of modules were assembled in China, other key items such as pressure vessels and boilers were procured from South Korea and Italy, and fabrication also took place in Mexico and the USA.
Key shipments were as follows:
- Over 65 PAU / PAR modules and furnace modules were fabricated in China and transported by RORO ocean-going vessels to a purpose-built Module Offloading Facility (MOF) located approximately 5 miles from the site, where they were offloaded using SPMTs and transported to the site via a purpose-built heavy haul road.
- Similarly, the boilers were fabricated in Italy and transported by RORO vessel to the MOF for onward land transport to the site.
- Reactors, towers, condensers, coolers, exchangers, KO drums, purge bins, stacks and ductwork were fabricated in the Far East and shipped by Heavy Lift (LOLO) Vessels to the MOF, where they were offloaded directly onto SPMTs or heavy haul tractor/trailer units for onward transport to the site
- Bullets and substations were fabricated in the USA and shipped to the MOF using barges and tugs.
- A total of 44 voyages were required for the shipments given above, consisting of 17 RORO voyages, 24 LOLO voyages and 3 barge/tug voyages.
Our Scope of Work
ABL provided Marine Warranty Surveyor and Marine Advisory Services in support of the loadout, transportation and offloading of all of the above cargoes, as well as review of environmental design criteria for transportation and suitability surveys of the RORO vessels and barges and tugs used for transport operations.
ABL also attended as MWS for shipments of equipment, skids, process vessels and other items from suppliers in the Far East to the main fabrication facilities in China for integration into the larger PAUs as part of their ongoing fabrication.
Our Value
Reduced transportation risk and ensured insurability by overseeing 44 complex voyages and conducting suitability surveys which guaranteed compliance with environmental and insurer requirements, minimising exposure to operational and financial risk.
Our involvement helped avoid delays at critical interfaces and reduced the risk of congestion or demurrage, protecting the project’s timeline for modular construction.
By aligning with the modularisation strategy and ensuring safe, efficient transfers to the Module Offloading Facility and onward heavy haul transport, ABL delivered confidence in timely, damage-free delivery of critical-path assets
Related services and sectors
Marine Surveys, Inspections and Audits
Marine Warranty Survey
