Basrah Refinery Upgrading Project
Heavy lifting and modular transport under tight access constraints
Heavy lifting at scale
MV Svenja and the JSI Alliance keep modules moving
A large programme with tight access: The Basrah Refinery Upgrading Project demanded consistent heavy lift performance over many months. For JGC Corporation, SAL – working within the JSI Alliance – delivered a modular transport programme that combined high-capacity lifting with an agile rotation of vessels. The challenge started at the Morimatsu plant in Nantong, a restricted-access, single-berth site that required careful scheduling, efficient port calls, and the ability to adapt the fleet to cargo readiness without losing momentum.
Capacity, continuity, control
At the heart of the scope, MV Svenja (2 × 1,000 t) teamed up with Jumbo Kinetic (2 × 1,500 t) to lift and transport 84 refinery modules using JCG’s purpose-built lifting frame. Drawing on the combined Alliance fleet allowed SAL to keep the programme moving while avoiding congestion at Nantong: vessels could be swapped or re-tasked between voyages as cargo streams evolved, ensuring the right ship at the right time – and continuity for other clients in parallel.
A series of support voyages from Alliance vessels moved additional heavy cargo, including seven 82-metre, 800-tonne bullet tanks. Over twelve months, the programme totalled around 450,000 freight tonnes of project cargo.
Engineering efficiency into every lift
Efficiency gains were designed in from the outset. The teams invested in high-performance rigging (HPME) and increased crewing levels to shorten handling cycles. A smart refinement to the lifting frame – adding wooden blocks to extend the guideline – sped up safe hook-on operations. As procedures were refined, throughput climbed from one module per day at the start of the programme to nine modules over six days towards the end.
Safety, shared learning, steady progress
Each voyage closed with a lessons-learned review, feeding improvements directly into the next call. This rhythm helped maintain high QHSE standards while steadily increasing pace, despite the site’s constraints and the scale of the undertaking.
Completion milestone
On 11 March 2024, MV Svenja discharged nine modules, marking the completion of the Alliance’s scope for JGC. The programme met its timeline while navigating berth limitations, variable cargo readiness, and the need to coordinate multiple vessels across a year-long schedule.