Vanguard unveils wind blade shunt trailers to improve port logistics

Vanguard has introduced a new wind blade shunt trailer to the South African market to address logistics challenges in wind blade transportation. The trailers, now operational, are designed to receive and transport wind blades from vessels to laydown areas in either top or tail orientation. The first deployment involved transporting wind blades through the Port of Richards Bay.

The standard top-to-tail orientation of wind blade shipping often requires ports to double-handle components or have sufficient space for complex shunting before moving them to laydown areas. Vanguard’s trailers offer a solution by accommodating wind blades in either orientation, enabling efficient movement through constrained quayside locations with minimal disruption.

The design includes a drawbar at both ends for shunting and allows for extensive wind blade overhangs when loaded in reverse orientation. This reduces the need for ground modifications or street furniture removal. The trailers can be configured using bespoke beams to accommodate varying blade lengths, with the first project handling blades measuring 90.646 metres.

The current project involves receiving and transporting 75 wind blades from the Port of Richards Bay to a laydown area outside the port. The blades are then transferred to Vanguard’s Scheuerle RBTS (Rotor Blade Transportation System) trailers for a 500km journey to the final site.

“Vanguard have provided consultancy from the initial concept right through to the design and manufacturing of the trailers, and it’s been great to see them in action and working so efficiently. Despite the challenging restrictions at the port, the team have been able to efficiently receive and transport over 15 blades a day to the laydown area, regardless of the orientation,” said Laura Hodgkinson, Senior Manager, Vanguard.