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Oversize cargo – extra care and on time

The Challenge

Pacific Rubiales Energy is the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production company in Colombia. The public company wanted to move a number of oversized pieces of equipment from a manufacturer in California to its facility in
 artagena, Colombia.

The equipment—long, vessel-shaped floatation cells—separates oil from the water, which comes from the oil production process. Each cell is expensive and requires extra care during shipping.

The Solution

Bogotá-based Pacific Rubiales asked BDP Colombia to handle the move. The process included meetings with the customer, as well as the supplier, Whittier Filtration located in Santa Fe Springs, California.

As with any project move, the keys to success are in the planning stage. BDP Colombia General Manager Fredy Ramos and Roberto Lange, BDP Project Manager in Houston, checked the operational conditions of the loading site, developed lifting details and a schematic of the lifting process, and reviewed documentation and information for the project.

Oversize cargo

“In Colombia we held a pre-operational meeting with Cartagena Port authorities, heavy-lift expert BBC Chartering shipping line and our land transportation resource to ensure all details were covered,” Ramos said.

BDP Colombia provided door-to-door services including lifting cranes on site. The floatation cells cargo was picked up in California EXW terms and transported to Houston; then shipped to the Port of Cartagena. After customs processing they were trucked to Pacific Rubiales’ oil yard located in southeast Colombia.

Five cells were transported in this first of two moves—another five are scheduled to be shipped. The total project investment is over US$10 million.

Project Logistics with chemical containers under tarp

“BDP Colombia has been an excellent partner and (their) performance gives us total confidence in working together on new projects.”

Jose Enrique Salazar, Logistics Leader - Pacific Rubiales Energy

Employee looks over Project Logistics chemical yard

“The cells are very expensive, so we had to be sure we carefully planned all details for this logistics operation. Pacific Rubiales was very pleased. ” Ramos said.

When asked about the services provided by BDP Colombia, Jose Enrique Salazar, Logistics Leader for Pacific Rubiales Energy, said, “It has been a good operation—our expectations were fulfilled. BDP Colombia has been an excellent partner in this project. The operation was performed with close attention to safety conditions.”

Would he place future projects in BDP’s hands?
“Yes. Absolutely. BDP Colombia’s performance gives us total confidence in working together on new projects,” he added.

How Pacific Rubiales benefits from working with BDP

  • Customized solutions
  • Industry expertise
  • Local expertise
  • Effective vendor management and one-source contact
  • On-time destination delivery

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Case Study

Pacific Rubiales Case Study