Volvo Earthmovers are Hard at Work Enlarging a Small Singapore Island

Twenty-two Volvo articulated haulers and excavators are moving sand to the small Pulau Tekong Island helping grow its size in a massive redevelopment project

The machines are running tirelessly, loading earth and sand that arrives at the island by barge before being transferred to the fleet of Volvo haulers for delivery to the required deposit points. The trucks travel along an uneven haul road approximately 0.6 miles long, and then unload at the jobsite.
The machines are running tirelessly, loading earth and sand that arrives at the island by barge before being transferred to the fleet of Volvo haulers for delivery to the required deposit points. The trucks travel along an uneven haul road approximately 0.6 miles long, and then unload at the jobsite.

The challenge:

Loading and hauling sand on Pulau Tekong Island during a billion dollar redevelopment

The players:

Kok Tong Construction Pte Ltd (KTC Group)

The process:

Pulau Tekong Island started life as a tiny dot on the map in the middle of the Malacca Straits, off the coast of Singapore. But that little dot is getting bigger, thanks to a huge land reclamation project. Kok Tong Construction Pte Ltd (KTC Group) is leading the earthmoving work, using a fleet of machines from Volvo Construction Equipment to keep the job on track.

The Singaporean government is investing billions of dollars in the island's redevelopment. The project is part of the government’s plans to boost Singapore’s land space from its current 71,400 hectares to 76,600 hectares, and its population from 5.3 million to 6.9 million by 2030.

Handling the huge amount of earth moving required in the land reclamation process is local contractor KTC Group, which has 22 machines from Volvo CE on the job. In total there are 18 A40E articulated haulers and four excavators – two EC700 units and two EC480 units.

The machines are running tirelessly, loading earth and sand that arrives at the island by barge before being transferred to the fleet of Volvo haulers for delivery to the required deposit points. The trucks travel along an uneven haul road approximately 0.6 miles long, and then unload at the jobsite.

Performance delivered

The Volvo machines are delivering an average of 600,359 cubic feet of sand and earth during each 12 hour shift. As the project progresses, the amount of earth and sand delivered to the project will increase. In total, 105,944,000 cubic feet of material will be moved over the five year project. At the project’s peak seven barges of imported earth and sand, each holding up to 141,259 cubic feet of material, will arrive at the island daily. To meet the demanding schedule, the haulers are running at average speeds of between 12 and 16 miles per hour over the course of a daily shift. The longest -serving Volvo hauler on the project has clocked up 27,000 hours so far.

“For a demanding project like this, we need rugged machinery that can endure long working hours and perform smoothly on uneven and sometimes very muddy terrain. There is also a lot of stormy weather, especially in Singapore’s tropical climate,” says Chua Lai Seng, chairman of KTC Group.

The Volvo A40E has the strength and durability needed to deliver maximum productivity to the jobsite. To ensure the smoothest and safest operations, the A40E also includes a self-compensating, hydro-mechanical steering system which makes the machine easy to maneuver — even when working with its maximum 85,980-pound payload on board.

Working alongside the haulers are two EC700C excavators which include the high-torque, low-revs 336.5 kW Volvo V-ACT engine, which offers up to 10% better fuel efficiency compared with competitors. Their advanced hydraulics also deliver more responsive digging and lifting, while the air-conditioned cab ensures maximum operator comfort and enhanced visibility.

The other two excavators are both EC480DL units, featuring the fuel-efficient Tier-4 D13H engine, which delivers a stronger performance but with lower fuel consumption than competitors. The unit also has a three-piece, high tensile steel undercarriage allowing it to work productively in even the toughest of conditions. And downward speed of the digging arm has been increased by 15% over its predecessor, meaning faster cycle times and higher productivity.

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