Advantis Projects provides solution for power plant relocation to Sudan

Advantis Projects, the project logistics arm of Hayleys Advantis Group, recently relocated the 24MW Lakdhanavai power plant from Sapugaskanda to Nyala, Sudan, a region that has been without electricity for four months.

Advantis was able to provide a complete end-to-end solution for the transportation of the power plant which included an overland transportation and shipping component. In addition to the transportation requirement there was also a special storage requirement which Advantis was able to cater to thanks to the vast array of equipment and facilities available to the company through its parent, Hayleys Advantis Limited.

“We have always prided ourselves in being able to provide our clients with tailor made solutions to meet their specific needs,” said Advantis Projects General Manager Shadil Rizan. “And with the case of the Lakdhanavai power plant the client required it to be dismantled and stored for a period before being transported to its final destination. We were able to do this by connecting with Advantis Free Zone which allowed us to use the facilities built within our very own group. The equipment was transported from Sapugaskanda to Katunayake and stored for a period of six months, prior to being shipped to Sudan.”

While most of the equipment was easily transported in containers, the true test of Advantis Projects’ ingenuity came with the transportation of four diesel generators that weighed 120 tonnes each. The transportation of this precious cargo required specialised equipment and precision planning. This monumental task required Advantis Projects to get approvals from the relevant governing bodies and liaise with multiple parties to ensure the safe and smooth transportation of the generators. These units were transported at night on the back of a hydraulic multi axle trailer, the only one of its kind currently in Sri Lanka, which is owned by Advantis Projects. The land transportation operation which took a total of eight days to complete, was carried out with zero incidents, due to the attention to detail and the constant monitoring of the cargo by the Advantis Projects team.

To take the generators the rest of the way Advantis Projects chartered a special heavy lift vessel, which carried the cargo to Sudan Port which is approximately 800 kilometres from Nyala. The Advantis Projects team arranged for delivery to be accepted at the Sudan Port by an approved agent who ensured the safe delivery of the units to the final destination in Nyala.

In the past, due to a lack of local skill and expertise, similar projects were handled by costly foreign entities that resulted in an outflow of money from the country. However, today, with Advantis Projects leading the way, the local industry has matured and gained the necessary expertise to cater to the needs of both local and foreign players in the transportation of heavy and over-sized cargo of this nature. Commenting on the success of the project, Hayleys Advantis Managing Director Ruwan Waidyaratne said: “Large scale projects like these are a testament to the strides the local logistics industry has taken in recent years. We are now able to cater to the needs of local and foreign players and by doing so not only prevent the out flow of currency from the country, but also add to the foreign currency inflow to Sri Lanka, which will further help boost the economy. We at Advantis are proud of our stellar teams that always go above and beyond to meet our clients’ needs and the part we play in helping develop the local logistics industry.”