Project Reference

Customer: Delta Gold Mining

Altus Logistics was contracted to undertake the barge movement of mining equipment from Central Borneo (350 nm up the Mahakham River) to Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia. We are then to load ocean going vessels with the equipment for transfer to Conakry, Guinea. Our responsibilities complete in Tanjung Pelepas. Total volume is just short of 40,000 cbm with weights up to 65 tons. Challenges included three bridges on the river that limited airdraft and the fluctuating water levels of the river which limited draft to less than 3 meters. We have already completed the movement of two barges and we expect to be able to complete the movement with 10 barge loads.

Tanjung Pelepas was chosen as the transshipment port rather than Singapore as they are trying to develop a breakbulk transshipment facility and we were the first customer. We were given access to berth 8, which is the new extension of the port and access to one 95 ton gantry crane which dwarfed the barge. We were also given large laydown areas in the port and a RTG to move materials within the facility. Needless to say, no breakbulk cargo has ever been treated so well!!

Busy with the lashing - all material had to be brought up on the first barge from Singapore. The problem was that the barge was boarded by pirates on the way up the river and they broke into the containers with the lashing gear and we lost all they could find - about 50% of the gear. We then had to buy in Samarinda at the mouth of the river and transport to location to complete lashing. For the journey out of the river, 6 heavily armed Marines were engaged to protect the cargo. We had a few attempts, but no successful incursions onto the barge.

Arrival at PTP - Tanjung Pelepas. The surveyor insisted we use a 2,400 bhp tug for the ocean voyage and we had to switch tugs at Samarinda and the ASL Ranger took another empty up the river for the second load.