The Jurassic Gas Facilities I (JGF-I) project marks Kuwait Oil Company’s (KOC) first major sour gas development project in North Kuwait (NK). The facilities are designed to handle a peak production of one thousand and two hundred metric tons per day (1200 MTPD) of molten sulphur. The sulphur will be loaded onto dedicated trucks and hauled to Kuwait National Petroleum Corporation’s (KNPC’s) Mina Al-Ahmadi (MAA) Refinery. The sulphur is then pelletized and sent out for export. The refinery is located approximately 145 kilometres south by road from the JGF-I facilities. A total equivalent of 63.5 million kilometres would have been travelled by sulphur trucks over a 20-year period.

Trucks are usually the most appropriate way of transporting goods and people overland. However, road transport is the biggest cause of fatalities within upstream companies and contractors. Kuwait is one of the countries with the highest number of fatalities resulting from car accidents [3], with 18.7 fatalities per 100,000 of the population [1].

It is essential that roads and other associated infrastructure, including traffic and road behaviour, is assessed intensively using route surveys. Consideration must always be given to using alternatives and evaluated for cost benefits, efficiency and risk exposure. Such an evaluation must also include handling and storage of goods where appropriate [9].

This paper describes how the project developed a tour-based transport model to define the required number of trucks and loading bays. The model also aided in the identification and quantification of potential bottlenecks. The results were used to engage with the appropriate external stakeholder(s) who have the biggest influence on the sulphur transport operations. Minimising the required size of the truck fleet will reduce the road transportation risks.

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