Exceptional transport in Genoa: 318-tonnes stator handling with Girder Bridge System

Exceptional transport in Italy: The Marraffa case in Genoa

In a single night, a convoy approximately 90 meters long crossed the center of Genoa, transporting a 318-ton stator from the Ansaldo Energia plant to the port. For this exceptional transport, Marraffa utilized a Girder Bridge System (special equipment for modular trailers designed to transport indivisible and extremely heavy industrial loads) with a capacity of up to 500 tons.

Moving a component of these dimensions along an urban route, built for ordinary traffic and not for convoys of this type, is a challenge that goes far beyond the simple handling of an oversized load. Therefore, every phase of the operation was carefully planned, from managing maneuvering spaces to the convoy configuration, custom-designed for the load.

• Load: 318-ton stator

• Convoy length: approximately 90 meters

• Technology: Girder Bridge System with a capacity up to 500 tons

• Route: from the Ansaldo Energia plant to the Port of Genoa, in an urban environment

• Timing: transfer completed in a single night

Due precisely to its weight and dimensions, the stator required a solution capable of ensuring load capacity, stability, and full handling control throughout the entire journey. This is where the Girder Bridge System comes into play.

Exceptional transport in an urban environment

In operations of this kind, technology is only part of the solution. When the route crosses the city, planning must consider every element that affects the handling:

• road geometry and turning radii;

• maneuvering spaces and obstacles;

• infrastructure and gradients;

• overall dimensions of the convoy along the entire itinerary.

The transfer of the stator from the Ansaldo Energia plant to the Port of Genoa was completed in a single night. Concentrating the entire handling operation into a defined time window required precise organization and constant coordination along the entire route. The result is a concrete example of how an exceptional transport can be tackled even in complex urban contexts, thanks to the combination of engineering design, special vehicles, operational experience, and route planning.

What is the Girder Bridge System

The Girder Bridge System is an engineering solution for the road transport of extremely heavy and bulky components. It is one of Marraffa's special transport solutions, alongside SPMT self-propelled vehicles.

Marraffa—an Italian company specializing in exceptional transport—uses it to handle exceptional loads characterized by out-of-scale weight and dimensions.

The principle is to create a sort of mobile bridge over the transport system: the load is supported by the girder structure, and the weight is transferred and distributed across the various axle lines of the convoy. This reduces load concentration and ensures the entire convoy maintains high stability. This configuration allows for the handling of movements that, due to their weight, dimensions, or geometric characteristics, would require different solutions compared to conventional exceptional transport.

The advantage is not only the ability to transport heavy weights. The configuration allows for control over:

• load distribution across the axles;

• system stability during transit;

• the overall dimensions of the convoy.

These are decisive aspects, especially when the exceptional transport crosses complex infrastructure and urban sections where conventional transport would not be sufficient.

Having different Girder Bridge System configurations allows Marraffa to design the most suitable solution for every project. The company has two:

• a system with a load capacity of up to 250 tons;

• a system with a capacity of up to 500 tons, used for the Genoa stator.

Exceptional transport in Italy for the Power & Energy sector

The system handling loads of up to 500 tons is a strategic resource for exceptional transport in the Power & Energy sector. Generators, transformers, turbines, stators, and other industrial components often reach weights and dimensions that are difficult to manage with traditional configurations.

The technology is also applied in other industrial sectors that require the handling of exceptional loads and large-scale components.

Exceptional handling as an engineering project

Every oversized and overweight load has its own unique characteristics. In exceptional transport, there is no one-size-fits-all configuration: the solution must be designed around the load, the route, and the operational conditions. The handling of the 318-ton stator is a prime example of this.

Do you need to move an oversized or overweight component? Contact Marraffa to collaboratively study the most suitable transport solution for your project, or discover other completed works and case studies, such as the exceptional transport of a 288-ton stator from Genoa to San Severo and the exceptional transport of a 220-ton electrical generator.