Barge Loading

Safe and efficient vessel loading takes the care and attention of experienced professionals. It also takes space, organization, and a recognition of equipment/supply priority and construction constraints. 

The organization of what goes where and when usually falls to the Logistics Group.

When we construct PERT diagrams and identify the Critical Path, we make assumptions that we will do what is necessary to get the supplies and equipment where it needs to be, when it needs to be. It is up to Logistics groups to make it happen and they are in a tough position. Their delivery uncertainty has one directional skewness in that there is a limit to how quickly something can get done but no limit to how long it could take. This uni-directional uncertainty is a primary reason why projects are delayed and above cost. It is a critical area to manage on any large project.

In the image we see two different loading mechanisms, a loader on the vessel, and in the upper corner a portion of a loading crane. Loaders load material, in this case containers, onto the vessel quickly. The cranes load the containers the loaders can't. 

Loader above and Crane in the left image.

Why were we there?

A client was constructing a large LNG plant. With limited space in its ports and particularly limited space at the construction site, the logistics of inventory control, loading and shipping became critical.

The client called on HCI personnel to assist with review and decision support within the logistics group. This included advising the discreet event modelling function and providing methods and tools for efficiency improvement.

In carrying out the assessment it became clear that significant time was being lost to crane and loader downtime especially due to diurnal weather patterns. Wind and wave action would cycle up and limit load capability.

HCI personnel took a Big Data approach to offer solutions to this issue and found two solutions to the problem. One was structural, the other operational. The structural change was to make use of a larger vessel, positioning it an optimal distance away from the loading activity. Too close or too far away and the wave action remained unmitigated. The optimal distance calmed the water around the barge being loaded.

​The second solution was to change shift times. A movement of shift change time was found to mitigate much of the mid-shift shut-downs by aligning the operational change with the higher wind periods. Simple, but effective once again.