Complex Compressor Transportation From California to Canada

Within our transportation and logistics services team, the complex part is not always the equipment to be moved. Sometimes, it’s the scope of the project. That was true earlier this year, when our Calgary office worked with one of the largest North American oil and gas companies to move two 100,000 pound compressors from San Diego and Carson, California to Taylor, BC, along with more than 25 loads of shiploose materials and over dimensional coolers.

The move occurred over a few months, and was noteworthy not in the weight of the cargo but the complexity of the organization. Our client, in the midst of a year-long comprehensive update of its compression site and local infrastructure, needed the compressor and parts to keep moving.

As the preferred vendor, they counted on Omega Morgan to organize the complexity, build and execute a plan, and avoid any delay or complications. Our Calgary transportation and logistics division delivered beyond satisfaction.

The Problem: Complex Organization with a Changing Scope

The first challenge was the organizational requirements. Our client required two compressors, 495 inches x 129 inches x 145 inches and weighing more than 99,000 pounds each, transported to Taylor, BC from both San Diego and Carson. But there was more. 25+ shiploose materials also required transportation to the same site, which came from various parts of the U.S. and Canada. The two over dimensional cooler units, for instance, came out of Beasley, Texas.

Omega Morgan has built a reputation for taking on complex organizational projects and planning them through well enough. For this project, the true problem to solve was with the compressors our team was charged with transporting.

The skids of the compressors were specifically designed to be lifted by cranes to and from trailers to pad only. Our client required the pieces to not just be moved off a trailer, but set inside a building within the destination site. Solving that challenge required expertise and some logistics ingenuity.

The Process: Building a Plan and Adjusting Where Needed

Planning was the first step. Our team performed a detailed route survey to optimize the timing as much as possible, which is a routine task for experienced transport and logistics professionals. The bigger question became how to move the compressors off the trailer.

The compressors were built to be offloaded via crane, but our client needed to place them within a pre-constructed building. To accommodate that need, our engineering department designed a trunnion saddle that attached to the lifting lugs on the skid of the compressor, allowing them to be safely offloaded from the transport trailer to a site trailer. From there, we could offload them onto the permanent pad inside the building. The key was to design a process that would safely lift the compressors without compromising their integrity. Through our ad-hoc design, we could jack and slide the units into their final location.

The Solution: Client Satisfaction and a Growing Reputation

Once our team designed and delivered the trunnion solution, the move went without a problem. We not only delivered the compressors and various other parts on time, but also created a modified jacking plan for our client that allowed us to deliver and set both main units within their designated building space.

The weight and dimensions of this project don’t stand out in Omega Morgan’s portfolio. At the same time, this project shows how even seemingly routine tasks can become complex, and how our teams are able to adjust to deliver on time, and on spec no matter the challenge. The result is a satisfied client, who could move forward with compression site upgrades as desired.