A huge electricity transformer weighing the same as 18 double decker buses has been safely delivered by ALE to Staythorpe Power Station having been transported on the River Trent.
The transformer was delivered to Hull where it was loaded onto the Inland Navigator, a river barge specially converted to carry abnormal loads. The barge is owned and operated by Robert Wynn & Sons and can carry single piece loads of up to 300 tonnes on the inland waterway network to cities such as Leeds, Nottingham, York and Worcester.
Had the transformer not been carried on the river then it would have faced an arduous 85 mile journey by road. Using the Trent not only proved to be a quicker, but it also helped to reduce potential disruption on the region’s road network.
Stuart Mills, a director at the Canal & River Trust said; “The River Trent has a long history of freight movements and it’s wonderful to see it being used in this way once more. We believe that the river still offers great potential for transporting freight, and although this is just one movement, it’s a great example of what the Trent has to offer. We very much hope that others will recognise the potential benefits that waterborne freight movements such as this can bring.”
Tommy Quik, ALE’s Project Manager who co-ordinated the transformer move, said: “We normally transport this type of cargo using the public roads, but we actually prefer using waterways because it is an efficient means of transport which poses little disruption to traffic and residents. We were pleased to be working with Robert Wynn & Sons and the Canal & River Trust on this move as they could provide the excellent services that made this possible.”
Andy Manners, General Manager of Robert Wynn & Sons commented; “It’s great to see the River Trent being used to deliver large abnormal loads. These loads have been to delivered to Staythorpe without impact on the traveling public and again demonstrates the real benefit of using the inland waterways for the carriage of the largest and heaviest abnormal indivisible loads”
Image: Malcolm Slater