Weighing in at 13,000 tonnes, world's largest monopile moved on self-propelled transporters from SCHEUERLE

There is a clear upward trend – wind turbines both on and offshore have been getting increasingly bigger for a number of years now. In this respect, Rostock-based EEW Special Pipe Constructions GmbH (EEW) has produced the world's largest monopile with a diameter of 7.8 metres and a length of 84.5 metres. For in-plant transportation, self-propelled InterCombi SPEs from SCHEUERLE (TII Group) are used. Logistics providers, Buss Port Logistics, loads the monopiles from the factory in Rostock onto barges with the help of SCHEUERLE SPMTs. These are subsequently transported to the Buss-owned Orange Blue Terminal in Eemshaven and unloaded again with the same vehicles.

54 of altogether 67 monopiles for the Veja Mate offshore wind park have already loaded but a lot of work is still waiting for the proven modular vehicles from SCHEUERLE (TII Group). A total of three monopiles are each loaded each time onto a barge using the Ro/Ro procedure, which then travels from Rostock to the interim storage facility in Eemshaven. Final destination is the North Sea off the German coast where the monopiles are being installed as part of a wind park which will supply electricity to 400,000 households. For the transport of the huge components, with a total weight of 87,100 tonnes, an extensive fleet of SCHEUERLE vehicles is in use: EEW and Krebs Korrosionsschutz GmbH are utilizing 144 InterCombi SPE axle lines in order to move the monopiles from the welding and paint shop to the storage area. With 48 SCHEUERLE SPMT axle lines, Buss Port Logistics loads the gigantic components onto the barge and unloads these at the Orange Blue Terminal in Eemshaven with a further 48 axle lines.

Dirk Pallatinus, transport operations manager at EEW, is extremely satisfied with the SCHEUERLE self-propelled transporters which are popular around the world due to their high loading capacity, precise electronic steering and large range of accessories: "For transportations of this magnitude, there is no room for error – every single detail must be correct. That's why we have relied on the TII Group and their vehicles for a very long time now."

Joachim Kolb, Area Manager Sales and responsible for the wind energy sector, added: "It's no surprise that the vehicles are highly developed; after all we have had hydrostatically driven self-propelled transporters in our programme for more than 45 years and are world market leader in the production of vehicles with hydraulically supported pendulum axles. However, the experience and knowledge of our employees also play a major role. And it's not for nothing that we provide a wide range of training courses for our customers which cover all aspects of our vehicles. Then, only when the vehicle and operating personnel complement each other perfectly is safe and economical transportation guaranteed."