The engines were required for the construction of a new 200MW power plant by the energy company Celsia. The isolated location of the site was chosen due to its proximity to the gas source and to help bring jobs to the local area.

The client had initially considered receiving the engines at one of the region’s two main ports (Cartagena and Barranquilla), which would typically handle operations of this type. There was also a question about the best method to transport the engines, as Edilber Guerrero – Mammoet Sales Manager, explains:

“At first, the client was thinking it wasn’t possible to transport the engines fully assembled to the job site. They were considering dismantling them into two pieces. With smaller pieces it is easier to transport, so this was their initial plan. Of course, the downside to this is that you would then need to build the engines on site, so you need more time, more people, more resources and money. The scale of the project would double.”

The public port of Compas in Tolu is closer to the site but is typically used for loading and unloading coal vessels, not heavy-load cargo. Receiving the engines at Cartagena (the closer of the two main ports) added 100km to the journey and further road restrictions.