Al Suwaidi Equipment and Transport Company Limited (SET) has used a Nicolas MHD vehicle to transport a 252-tonne liquid separator from Jubail to a gas refinery in Khursaniyah, operated by Saudi Aramco.
The Modular Heavy Duty (MHD) vehicle can carry concentrated loads, in a number of configurations. Drive was provided by a V8-powered Mercedes-Benz Actros.
The day of the transport saw strong winds added to the already difficult transport conditions, creating extensive sand drifts on the roads used by the transport.
The hydraulic axle packer of the heavy duty module came into its own on the uphill climbs, stabilising the load especially on the thirty-kilometre desert that formed the last part of the route.
Thanks to its precise steering, at the refinery site the load was able to be deposited safely at its destination on a pre-prepared sub-structure.
The MHD has a platform height of just 845 mm when lowered. Its modular design means it can be used with an array of configurations and the vehicles can be coupled lengthwise or crosswise depending on the demands of the job.
SET is one of the largest heavy lift and transport companies in Saudi Arabia and the wider region, with more than 1,500 pieces of equipment in its fleet, and 12 regional offices within the kingdom.