Page 27 - Case Study Annual 2018
P. 27
LAA Gold Award
to a drawbar configuration. The reconfigure in the mire at the shore edge. The team
in Harare involved the offloading of the began the challenging manoeuvres to free
boat, removing the gooseneck and fitting a the load and turned the vehicle an incredible
drawbar and header, together with turning 180° allowing it to start reversing toward the
the boat 180° on the trailer for the boat to water. For the first 350m, it seemed as if the
travel stern first down the escarpment. In vessel would finally make it into the lake,
doing so, they were able to shorten the trailer however, with 150m to go, the surface began
by 5m and reduce the swing clearance on to crumble underneath the team, bringing an
the rear of the load, thus allowing it to sweep immediate halt to the vessel’s progress.
past rock faces on the route without having With the end of the road literally within
to excavate the cliff walls. touching distance, a new plan had to be
The reconfigure in Harare involved the made, which involved importing 220 cubic
transport of equipment from Johannesburg metres of gravel from a local quarry and
and temporary import of equipment. An laying down a temporary surface to the lake
earthmoving contractor was also employed shore. The newly constructed roadway held
to make adjustments to the last 10km of dirt out for the first 100m, but as the houseboat
road that would ultimately take the load to started its turn, the surface once again
the shore. As the houseboat moved down the started breaking up. The team resorted to
escarpment, it became evident that the route adapting the rigging team’s timber intended
survey conducted was accurate to within a for the offloading procedure into a temporary
few centimetres. wooden road, allowing the load to finally inch
The vessel arrived at the Lake Harvest its way to the water.
harbour and with the African Dream now So, after three months on the road, the
in sight of the water, only 500m from the Manline Mega team delivered the boat on
shoreline, the expectation was that she would 11 December and the African Dream launched
glide hassle-free down the final stretch. on 18 December, much to the delight of its
However, tight turns and a ground surface the French owners. This project required skill,
unable to withstand the weight of the load tenacity and innovative thinking, which the
caused the trailer to become bogged down Manline Mega team delivered wholeheartedly. •
The Logistics News Case Study Annual 2018 25
