1. in the cArgo
AFIRSTINThEINdUSTRy
THIS GIANT electric locomotive will spend its the stanchions and pallets of the Air-Shuttle
working life hauling coal across the vast open with the Samson trailer we have been able
spaces of the Australian outback. to create a stable, manoeuvrable platform for
But, before it can even begin to earn its liv- loading. This is a solution that is unique to the
ing, it must first be shipped from the manufac- industry.”
turing plant of Siemens AG Division Mobility in “And we will be working with equipment we
Munich, Germany, by truck, barge and sea-go- already know. We must have loaded over 1,000
ing vessel to Brisbane, Australia. It’s a task that rail coaches with the Air-Shuttle and we have
veteran Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics’ Cargo been using the Samson trailer for more than 15
Superintendent, Boerje Lagerlöf, describes years,” he adds.
(with some modesty) as “very interesting”. Once on board the vessel the two loco-
According to Lagerlöf, the problem is “not motives will be securely lashed in place, in
really the weight”; after all, he and his team regu- accordance with IMO regulations. Despite the
larly handle power generation equipment weigh- size and weight, the lashing points are similar
ing over 200 tonnes. The challenge was to find to other High Heavy cargoes carried by
a transport solution that was both cost effective WWL on a regular basis.
and could work within the tight time schedule Working on the solution were WWL teams
laid down by WWL customer, Siemens. in Bremerhaven, the in-house stevedore
You see, this locomotive is not alone. There Atlantik Hafen Betriebe and, of course, at the
are around 45 such engines to get to Brisbane discharge port in Brisbane. As Lagerlöf says:
over the next two years and they will be “If we are putting anything on a ship in Europe,
shipped two at a time from the WWL facility at we also have to make sure they can get it off
Bremerhaven. at the other end”.
Each engine is part of a special order for
Queensland Rail and is over 20 metres long. THE NEW CONTRACT to ship the locomo-
They weigh about 132 tonnes each. tives is an important extension of WWL’s long
“With the tight schedule and number of standing relationship with Siemens, a valued
locos involved, we had to find a solution taking customer. WWL regularly transports hi-tech
into account the optimum use of our equip- Siemens equipment, such a railcars and
ment,” explains Lagerlöf. generators, around the globe and is often the
carrier of first choice.
FOR THE FIRST SHIPmENT, a jack-up trailer Abu Nasser, Manager Sales Marketing,
was used to stow the locomotives on specially WWL Europe, says the close working relation-
modified Blocks Beams pallets. ship with Siemens is built on mutual trust and
In the future, the locomotives will be rolled WWL’s ability to offer solutions to complex
on board the vessel in Bremerhaven on the shipping tasks.
Samson trailer which has been customised to “We have invested a lot of time, knowledge
meet WWL’s needs. The construction of this and equipment into this type of operation,
trailer is almost completed and it is now in the working with the operation teams and the sales
test phase. WWL will continue to use the jack- office on both sides of the world,” he explains.
up trailer until the Port of Brisbane formally “I believe we won this contract because we
PHOTO: HANS SCHERHAUFER
approves the use of the WWL Samson trailer were able to give them a solution that could
and the trailer’s test period is completed. handle the task and because they know our
“The Samson heavy-lift trailers will be used to capabilities as a global carrier. Working to-
tackle the weight and the mounting bed of the gether like this will strengthen our relationship
Air-Shuttle trailer (designed for railcars) to cope for future projects.”
with the length,” says Lagerlöf. “By combining RUPERT SAUNdERS
6VENTURE22008

2. siemens chose wwl to
come up with a tailor-
made and cost-efficient
solution to ship 45 such
engines from germany
to Australia.
VENTURE220087