How significant are your charter freight operations for the oil and gas industry? Could you give us an idea about the number of charter flights you operate monthly, specifically transporting equipment for the oil and gas industry?
Over years of intensive charter operations since 1990, Volga-Dnepr Group has become a truly recognised expert on the international market of air transportation of heavy and outsize cargo. Our vast experience, based on operation of the largest fleet of unique ramp airplanes, such as giant An-124 and smaller IL-76TD-90VD, makes Volga-Dnepr a part of the logistics chain for the worldwide oil and gas industry.
Transportation of a wide range oil and gas equipment is one of the key activities for Volga-Dnepr Group. Over the past 24 years, we have been participating in many exciting projects of the big-name companies of the industry. Our aeroplanes could be seen in various remote locations in the world, such as Latin America, Africa and even Papua New Guinea, delivering project cargoes. We have served all sectors of the oil and gas industry: upstream (drilling equipment, pumps, power houses and blowout preventers), downstream (compressors, heat exchangers, separators, stabilisers and control units), midstream (tube bundles, pipeline valves, vents and pipelayers), oil spill recovery equipment and specialised vehicles.
Volga-Dnepr Group has a capability to fulfill various client needs, from urgent deliveries of oversize equipment to hardly accessible hotspots on a charter-only basis, to a complete package of door-to-door transportation. At least ten of a great number of our monthly flights are operated for the oil and gas industry. Since 1990, we have carried more than 90,000t of oil and gas equipment in our flagship An-124-100 and IL-76TD-90VD.
In 2014, we have operated our 1,100th oil and gas flight. That was the delivery of 45t of cargo, including part of a drilling machine with a hydraulic drive and additional equipment from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Prestwick in the UK.
What are some of the important routes that you operate when transporting equipment for the oil and gas industry?
The majority of Volga-Dnepr transportations for the oil and gas industry are from Europe, India, the Far East and Pacific, and North America. More than 60% of deliveries are for such industrial regions as Russia, African countries and South East Asia.
Which companies in the oil and gas industry do you work with in air freight logistics?
Throughout our 24 years of activity, Volga-Dnepr has operated for almost all major companies in the worldwide oil and gas industry, such as Exxon Mobile, Total, Shclumberger, Cameron, National Oilwell Varco, Halliburton, BP, Shell, Fluor, CB&I and others.
What are some of the innovative services that you offer for this particular industry?
Volga-Dnepr’s fleet is able to land on unprepared runways for loading and unloading with no need to use special airport handling equipment. This is of particular value for the delivery of oil and gas equipment to remote regions where gas and oilfields are being explored. We also design and manufacture bespoke loading systems and handling frames for specific projects.
Shipping of massive, super-heavy equipment can take weeks and months using ground transport or sea freight and sometimes the path makes it too dangerous for the equipment and people. Volga-Dnepr’s team can arrange the same deliveries within several days or even hours, avoiding dangerous and time-consuming risks.