Lynden transports seawater plant from Indonesia to North Slope

The Lynden team outside the treatment plant.

"Transporting a seawater treatment plant for Santos from Indonesia to Prudhoe Bay resulted in the second largest customs entry ever prepared and submitted by Lynden," says Matt Bykowski, Lynden Logistics Director of Compliance. Fabricated in Southeast Asia and floated all the way to Alaska's North Slope above the Arctic Circle via heavy-lift ship and barge, the project was one of the more complex customs entries for the Lynden team this year. The plant is designed to process seawater for various industrial uses, including oil and gas production.

Freight for the project started moving in early January of 2023 with the production facility coming in from Canada, according to Darina Sary, Lynden Logistics Regional Operations Manager. "Our International team in Seattle handled various parts going to Indonesia for the construction of the plant. We handled a lot of shipments, including a charter flight out of Chicago into Batam, Indonesia, consisting of main control units, HVAC system, and other electronics," she says. Regional Operations Manager Jason Hiti-Shannon was on the tarmac in the middle of the night to oversee the crating and loading for that specific charter. Lynden and its local partners handled the final mile delivery from Singapore to the island of Batam, which is only accessible by ferry and barge.

All shipments handled were crucial to fast-tracking the manufacturing of the seawater treatment plant in Indonesia, so it could be transported 7,000 miles to the North Slope in Alaska this summer. "With Lynden's array of services, including air freight, ocean freight, brokerage, charters, barging with Alaska Marine Lines and trucking via Lynden Transport, we showed our ability to be a one-stop shop for all the customer's freight forwarding needs," says Elodie Gergov, Director of International Operations.

Lynden Logistics, Alaska Marine Lines, Lynden Oilfield Services and Lynden Transport are still involved in transporting parts and supplies for the project. "We are importing small parts for this build to get things finished, including at least two hot shipments every week and a recent ocean shipment from Dubai," Darina explains. Earlier this year, Senior Vice President of Freight Operations Dennis Mitchell, Matt, Elodie and Darina were all invited to Prudhoe Bay by Santos Materials and Logistics Advisor Tom Hendrix to tour the treatment plant. "It was a real eye opener to be onsite there and to see the size of the plant," Darina says. "The plant was the final piece in the Pikka project for Santos, so it felt good to know that Lynden played such a big part in getting it there."