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When innovation hits the road
Every project brings its own hurdles, from complex terrain to challenging logistics and tight timelines. At Petrofac, these aren’t barriers but moments to show what our teams can do.
The Tinrhert 2 absorber column journey is one such example.
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Client
Sonatrach
Scope
Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC)
The challenge
Deliver two CO2 absorber columns, each:
metres
31
long
tonnes
420
(the equivalent of a Boeing 747)
metres
5.5
in diameter
Fabricated in Oman, these two columns travelled across open seas, deserts, and thousands of kilometres of road to reach their final home in Algeria’s Alrar region. Every stage required precise planning and seamless execution.
From Oman to Algeria - the absorber column's journey
These columns are not just pieces of equipment, they are the core of the decarbonisation process, designed with cutting edge technology and precision engineering. Without them, the facility is unable to remove the high concentrations of CO2 from natural gas to make it suitable for downstream use. Beyond engineering, the story of these absorber columns reflects innovative problem-solving, and true execution excellence.
Global expertise, seamlessly connected
The project brought together expertise from across the world and demanded an extraordinary level of global coordination and collaboration:
BASF (Germany)
Provided the licensor design for the columns
Petrofac
Our multi-disciplinary Engineering teams in Chennai and Sharjah executed the detailed engineering
Sulzer (India)
Fabricated the specialized internals for filtration and separation in the column
STS (Oman)
Fabricated the columns
Cargo trains
Transported the columns across seas to Arzew Port, Algeria
MLC and Sonelgaz (Algeria)
Transported the columns by road from Arzew to Alrar
Sarens and GCB
Installed the columns at site
What makes this achievement remarkable is the sheer scale of coordination involved across continents, cultures, and competencies. From licensor designs to local execution, it’s a perfect example of Petrofac’s ability to combine global expertise toward a single, shared goal.
The ultimate logistics challenge
From Oman to Algeria, the journey tested every aspect of planning and logistics ingenuity. Every kilometre carried its own set of challenges, but the team’s determination never wavered.
A specialised axle trailer (the only one available in Oman) navigated the first leg from Nizwa to Duqm port, a 10-day operation requiring custom road permits and movement only during daylight hours.
After reaching Duqm, a specially geared vessel was chartered to transport the columns across the seas to Algeria, but the real challenge lay ahead.
The columns were transported 1,650 km overland from Arzew port to Alrar through eight Algerian provinces, involving gendarmerie escorts while overcoming:
- Extreme weather delays that threatened to derail timelines
- Temporary road construction and dismantling fence
- Flooded roads and a low clearance bridge that forced the team to carve out the road beneath it
Our priority was always safety, for the convoy, the communities, and the cargo. Coordinating with multiple authorities and managing security handovers across provinces was complex, but it ensured a seamless, incident free journey.
Precision meets planning
On arrival, site installation posed new challenges due to limited access to the central processing facility (CPF).
A steel bridge had to be dismantled to manoeuvre the columns, which were lifted into place using 600- and 400-tonne cranes while reinforcing the ground with steel plates for stability.
The 420 tonne columns were integrated into the decarbonisation unit’s framework through precise lifting and alignment. We completed the job safely and efficiently thanks to strong teamwork and an unwavering focus on safety and precision.
The result
Algeria’s heaviest road transport for a Petrofac project successfully delivered and two absorber columns installed as the centrepieces of the new CO₂ separation and decarbonation unit.
Once complete, the facility will process ~25 million standard cubic meters (MMSCMD) of natural gas per day, removing high CO₂ concentrations to make the gas suitable for downstream use. Beyond engineering, the story of these absorber columns reflects innovative problem-solving, and true execution excellence.
Seeing the absorber columns finally in place was a moment of immense pride. But for us, installation isn’t the end, it’s the start of bringing this facility to life, step by step, until first gas flows.
Why it matters
The Tinrhert 2 absorber column's journey showcases Petrofac’s ability to:
- Engineer across geographies
- Solve extreme logistics challenges
- Deliver critical infrastructure for a cleaner energy future in Algeria
This project embodies everything Petrofac stands for - technical excellence, operational resilience, and an unwavering commitment to our clients and the communities we serve.
When innovation quite literally hits the road, our team and partners rose to the challenge. The successful delivery of the Tinrhert 2 absorber columns is not only a feat of engineering and logistics, but also a demonstration of how we turn complexity into delivery.