DSV delivered giant petrochemical columns to ORLEN

At the beginning of March 2026, two gigantic columns arrived from China at the port of Gdańsk, serving as key components of ORLEN’s petrochemical investment project. How large were these shipments? The larger of the two columns was about as tall as a 30 – story building and its weight was equivalent to that of 369 average passenger cars.

On March 2, the vessel carrying the cargo entered the Port of Gdańsk, where the columns were transhipped onto barges. By March 15, they had already reached the Vistula quay in Płock. Together we made the decision to begin the inland waterway stage before the end of the spring thaw period, which was not an obvious solution. We anticipated that the water level in the Vistula could quickly fall below the level required for safe navigation – says Grzegorz Samoć, Director of DSV Projects and Industry Solutions in Poland. – As it turned out, we were right: by the end of March, the water level in the Vistula had dropped so much that barges would no longer have been able to complete the voyage.

The decision made by DSV’s experts, the inland shipping captains working with them and other partners came at the perfect moment. A delay of just few days would likely have meant that the next transport window would not open for several months – or possibly not until 2027. It is worth emphasizing that the actual voyage lasted only five days. This is an excellent example of how significant an impact the choice of an experienced logistics operator can have on keeping an investment project on schedule.

A particularly unique stage of the project was the transshipment of the columns from the barges onto an SPMT platform. For this, we used hydraulic lifts and an unusual skidding transfer technique. To guarantee the safety of this process, it was necessary to properly reinforce the quay. For this purpose, we engaged a team of divers who first cleared the riverbed and then placed sandbags on it. These created an abutment and a support point capable of withstanding the loads – explains Grzegorz Samoć.

Petrochemical Columns on the Roads of Płock

DSV was responsible for preparing the route for transporting the columns, coordinating cooperation and obtaining the necessary permits from the relevant authorities. In accordance with their guidelines and the project requirements, resulting from the nature of the cargo, certain elements of the road infrastructure were modified. Among other measures, vertical road signs were removed and selected road surfaces along the approximately 6-kilometer route were protected with steel and composite mats. All infrastructure elements were restored to their original condition after the transport of the second column was completed. The logistics operator was also responsible for constructing a temporary road that enabled the loads to enter the ORLEN investment site. From the river port to the final destination, the columns were delivered using a specialized self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) in a 40-axle configuration.

We delivered the larger of the two columns to the factory site on March 22 and the smaller one on March 27, in line with the cargo owner’s requirements and the practical considerations of organising the transport. Looking back at the entire project, it was completed in an exceptionally short timeframe while maintaining the highest standards of quality and professionalism. We would not have achieved this without the support of our partners, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks – concludes Grzegorz Samoć.

DSV – Global Transport and Logistics, the world's largest logistics operator, has unique experience in handling engineering projects. In 2023, DSV’s project logistics experts set a Polish record for the largest inland waterway transport, as well as for one of the two largest transports ever carried out using roads in the country.