The Irkutsk Polymer Plant (IPP) project was executed in close cooperation between deugro (Japan) Co., Ltd., deugro Projects, LLC, Russia and deugro (Korea) Co., Ltd. Due to the transport via the Northern Sea Route and critical conditions of navigation on the Lena River, the navigation period was limited to a maximum of three months. The vessels were accompanied by the nuclear ice breaker Yamal.
The cargo contained 45 oversized heavy lift (OSHL) components and was shipped simultaneously on two full-charter vessels from Masan, South Korea via Tiksi in the Arctic Ocean to Ust-Kut, Russia.
As most of the OSHL cargo came from South Korea and the transit time to Tiksi via the Bering Strait was the fastest, it was consolidated and loaded at the port of Masan. After 4,500 nautical miles, both vessels arrived at the anchorage points in Tiksi. Due to a low draft at the Port of Tiksi, the simultaneous transshipment from both vessels onto nine barges was executed outside the port area. All barges were certified for an exit to the sea, and the river transportation from Tiksi to Ust-Kut took about 24 to 26 days by barge.