Buenos Aires flood relief tunnel receives TBM

A Lovat ME310SE Series 24500 TBM plus back up system has arrived in Argentina ready for employment in the construction of the 'Arroyo Maldonado Flood Relief Tunnel' in Buenos Aires.

The 7.8m diameter soft ground earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine was delivered by UK firm Abnormal Load Services (International) Ltd. The shipment comprised of 13 break bulk items with a maximum unit weight of 86,000kgs and maximum width 502cm, plus a total of 40 x 40ft open-top container loads.

Canadian regulations restricted the road haulage of the heavy and oversize break bulk items from LOVAT's factory only to the nearest railhead, approx. 12 miles (19km) from the factory. The break bulk loads were then transferred to flatbed railcars and carried by rail through to the port of Halifax NS.

ALS employed a chartered heavy lift vessel to deliver the break bulk loads, totalling 533 tonnes/1,003 cbm, from Halifax to Buenos Aires.