Implenia Sweden AB recently contracted Sarens to replace an old railway bridge in the busy city centre of Stockholm, an operation that involved loading out three new bridge sections in Tallinn, Estonia; transporting them on Sarens’ largest seagoing barge and several inland vessels; and installing them in Stockholm using the ‘floatover’ method.

The operation was completed in several phases:

• First, Sarens loaded out the new bridge sections in Tallinn, securing them onto the barge Caroline for sea transport to Södertalje harbour in Sweden.

• After loadover from the barge Caroline, Sarens used inland barges to transport the two longest bridge sections one by one. The barges carried the bridge sections through the Södertälje lock and into the harbour of Västerås on Mälaren lake. 

• After load-in, the client welded the two sections together to form one 190-metre long, 1.400-tonne bridge segment.

• Next, Sarens removed two old railway bridge parts spanning the bay of Söderstrom and one other part spanning the road. Then each part, which weighed up to 650 tonnes, was transported to Västerås, loaded in, and set down for scrapping.

• Finally, Sarens transported the remaining 300-tonne bridge part to Stockholm for installation. Sarens loaded out the 190-metre long ‘Söderström Bridge’ in Västerås, transporting it to Stockholm and installing it via the ‘floatover’ method.

For this project, Sarens deployed several seagoing and inland vessels, as well as auxiliary equipment, including:

• Caroline, the largest seagoing barge in the Sarens fleet
• Three inland barges, including the Sarens barge Jozef-Rosa
• Four sets of Sarens Modular Barges (SMB) used as installation and spacer barges
• Seagoing and inland tugs
• Mooring and ballasting equipment
• 96 axle lines SPMT
• Support equipment for barge deck heightening, stooling on SPMT, and SMB
• Stooling for underbridge parts in Västerås during welding activities

Planning was critical to the success of this operation because Sarens had to coordinate all activities with the timing of the railway closure. Work commenced on May 15, 2019 and was completed by July 30, 2019. Some changes to the execution method had to be made at a later stage, shortening the lead time Sarens had to complete activities in a timely way.

According to site manager Michal Jevcinec, “All operations were extremely challenging due to a tight time schedule, tight operational space in the heart of Stockholm, and the highest quality and precision requirements. An excellent working relationship, engineering, project team dedication, and punctual realisation made it possible to reach the project milestone ahead of schedule.”

“It was a challenging job in terms of organising and coordinating activities at three different locations in Sweden, ending in the beautiful city centre of Stockholm where we could demonstrate Sarens capacities and qualities in bridge installation solutions,” says project manager Jaap Ottevanger. “Thanks to the highly dedicated Sarens team, our marine subcontractors, the local authorities, and last but not least, our client Implenia.”

This project was a success thanks to the talents of project manager Jaap Ottevanger, site manager Willem Ditmer, site supervisors Tom de Bondt and Ben van Aggelpoel, project engineer Stef Walraet, and as many as 20 crew members working at the project’s peak. Congratulations to everyone involved in this operation!

Watch the video here!