Electric-powered heavy transport completed for Shell

Mammoet achieved a milestone in the development of sustainable heavy lifting and transport – undertaking the replacement of a production vessel at a chemical plant in the Netherlands using purely electric power.

The Shell facility produces feedstock for a range of everyday applications including medical equipment, car components and mobile telephones.

While electric technology is nothing new for domestic vehicles, the sheer force SPMTs are required to deliver in moving heavy items has presented significant barriers to finding an equivalent solution. But thanks to extensive research and testing, a Mammoet partnership with Scheuerle has transitioned its self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) fleet from diesel to renewable energy.

The electric Power Pack Unit (ePPU) was used with four axle lines of SPMT operating in an extremely tight area of the existing plant, which meant that there were only a few meters in which to manoeuvre the existing vessel out and drive the new one into position. 

Using the ePPU delivered important benefits for the project. Ludo Mous, Operations Director at Mammoet Europe, explains, ‘The ePPU is a really important step in how we support our customers with decarbonising projects. But in this case, the benefits were not limited only to a lower carbon footprint. With work taking place in a highly confined area, we would have been highly conscious of the emissions generated by a typical diesel PPU, and would need to carefully manage operatives’ exposure to it.’

While there is still work to be done on further developing the fleet, Mous concludes, ‘We expect demand to be high, in particular for projects that are looking for more sustainable options or where exhaust emissions must be kept to a minimum for safety reasons, such as civil projects taking place within tunnels or work inside nuclear facilities.’