Projects Details
This project was known as the TAO Project (The University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory Project), and it involved the construction of the world's highest observatory in elevation on the summit of Mount Chajnantor (an altitude of 5,640 meters) in the Atacama Desert of the Republic of Chile. The summit of Mount Chajnantor is ideal for observation of the infrared spectrum, and we transported both the telescope and a variety of peripheral cargo/equipment from Japan and the USA to the construction site in order to build a large world-top infrared-optimized telescope with a 6.5m diameter.
At over 5,000 meters above sea level, the site sometimes plunges to negative 20 degrees Celsius in temperature, and also constitutes a low-oxygen environment. As such, the NX project team members had to carry oxygen tanks and engage in extensive routine health monitoring to ensure that ideal physical conditions were met.
Even with our extensive record of international projects, we had never worked in the Republic of Chile before. Even so, we successfully saw project management through in this case, ensuring safety and quality was upheld.
Key Project Details and Requirements
1. Heavy cargo/equipment transportation in a new country
We transported telescope cargo/equipment up to a maximum mass of 41 tons and a maximum width of 9 meters from the University of Arizona in the USA to the summit of Mount Chajnantor in the Republic of Chile. While we have experience in transporting cargo within the USA, we had no such experience with heavy cargo in Chile, so we began by establishing a survey project team for Chile and conducting a rigorous investigation. This team investigated carefully on a wide range of points, from selecting a port in Chile to roads for the transport of 9-meter-wide cargo/equipment, as well as acquiring all manner of permits for the transportation of outsized cargo. Furthermore, the route to the summit is an extended steep incline up to an altitude of 5,000 meters, meaning we also engaged in road design work to ensure safe transportation for vehicles carrying large cargo/equipment. We overcame these issues with our combined technical and engineering skills, succeeding in transportation for the project.
2. Special transportation via collaboration with transportation companies in Chile
Given the variety of legal restrictions in the Republic of Chile, we consulted repeatedly with various authorities and transportation companies in Chile on everything from road designs to transportation permits, then attempted to transport a 9-meter-wide piece of cargo/equipment.
In particular, we had to work as a unit with the police to ensure safe and reliable transportation and avoid collisions with general traffic on public roads.
3. Providing end-to-end transportation services up to an altitude of 5,640 meters, from Japan and the US to Chile
Telescope cargo/equipment was transported from various manufacturers in Japan and the University of Arizona.
For the marine shipments of the oversized cargo, we arranged for transportation of the vacuum chamber (41 tons in size, and 9 meters in diameter) to maintain the reflectivity of the primary mirror from the Port of Yokohama, and of the primary mirror of the TAO telescope (27 tons in size, and 7 meters in diameter) from the Port of Long Beach.
We also handled cargo transportation from manufacturers starting from packaging, and transported around 300 containers according to the overall construction schedule.
Furthermore, we successfully and smoothly arranged for the intricate procedures required to obtain an academic tax exemption while obtaining import customs clearance in Chile.
In this way, our end-to-end services and efficient transportation helped bring this project to fruition.
Related Services
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