Industry vertical: Oil and gas
Mode of transportation: Airfreight – Antonov 124
Load: 95 tonnes of oil and gas exploration equipment
Location: United Kingdom to Australia
Date: 2014

The client

Condor Energy – a critical partner to the Australian oil and gas industry, providing well construction, technical engineering and hydraulic fracturing and intervention services.
 

The challenge

Condor Energy (“Condor”) won a contract to provide critical drilling services to a South Australian based oil and gas exploration and production company. In order to meet a tight exploration deadline, Condor needed to move 16 pieces of custom manufactured equipment weighing in excess of 95 tonnes, across two continents within 14 days.

Delivering solutions

With time leaving no margin for error, Airland immediately deployed a dedicated team of loadmasters to Condor’s supply premises in the UK to conduct an equipment audit before delivering the following solution:

• With some equipment still in production, an airfreight charter would be the only transportation method capable of meeting the targeted 14 day door-todoor delivery schedule from Stansted in the United Kingdom to Condor’s holding yard in South Australia.
• A detailed equipment survey identified the need for an aircraft with a hold capacity that could accommodate cargo with a measurement of 40 cubic metres and cater for a load in excess of 95 tonnes. These unique logistical dimensions including one piece weighing more than 38 tonnes, prescribed the immediate commissioning of an Antonov 124 – the only plane in the world capable of moving this load in one shipment.
• Airland’s specialist project team in Australia liaised with the UK equipment supplier and Condor’s technical team to develop an understanding of the equipment on order so that a load list could be developed in advance of its manufacture.
• Airland’s packing and breakdown strategy was designed to consider manufacture completion, airfreight, and final road transportation to allow Condor sufficient time to assemble and test the equipment prior to taking it out into the gas fields of the Cooper Pedy Basin.
• Upon the Antonov’s arrival at Adelaide Airport, both ends of the plane were opened up and a ramp had to be assembled from the front to offload some of the cargo. Heavy lift cranes were on standby ready to mobilise and handle the complex loading and unloading procedures.
• Four heavy haulage trucks were commissioned to simultaneously move the cargo from Adelaide Airport to Condor’s nominated holding yard, before final delivery to South Australia’s renowned Coober Pedy basin.

Delivering Results

On time

• To ensure the cargo arrived as scheduled, Airland’s commissioning of a direct and dedicated charter ensured there were no offloads or unexpected delays.
• On-site quarantine were placed on standby for the Antonov’s scheduled arrival time at Adelaide Airport to provide immediate clearances as the plane landed. Airland handled all regulatory negotiations to ensure Australian import requirements were met.
• All necessary permit negotiations were proactively managed with heavy haulage road transportation companies to ensure there were no unnecessary delays in final delivery to site.

On budget

• To ensure that the packing and unloading process went unhindered, Airland’s dedicated loadmasters oversaw the entire operation, ultimately mitigating the risk of any damages or cost overruns.
• Continuous communication between Airland’s project team, Condor and the manufacturer provided end-to-end visibility and hourly location updates. 

Beyond expectations

• Airland was proud to support Condor’s first major project in Australia and realised its significance in terms of enabling Condor to deliver on the commitments made in their client contract. Delivery on time, on budget and ensuring cargo safety was of the utmost importance in ensuring the exploration deadline was met.
• The charter of an Antonov 124 made history as the first commercially chartered Antonov to be received by Adelaide Airport and was only the second Antonov 124 to visit Adelaide in the last decade. This assignment was made achievable through Airland’s extensive global networks.
• Airland won this assignment based on a strong track record of managing complex time sensitive cargo and finding competitive solutions within the client’s budget.

Airland continues to provide ongoing supply chain management services to Condor Energy, supporting their growth in Australia as a trusted and reliable partner to the oil and gas industry.