River barges play an important part in the range of equipment at STGs disposal. The best way to illustrate this is to briefly describe some of the projects carried out in the past:
- An asphalt plant needed relocating from the UK to Kosice, Slovakia. One way was to utilise multiple trailers. However, it soon became apparent that by delivering to Hamburg, transferring to barges (six in total, operating as a string) to arrive Melnik in the Czech Republic, for final on-carriage by road, substantial savings could be made.
- With a customer in Switzerland, the challenge was to deliver a 96ton piece from Plzen in the Czech Republic to Resita, Romania. Disregarding the fact that the vehicle would gross in excess of 160tons, the most effective solution was to arrange road delivery to Bratislava, then transfer to the waiting barge for shipment along the Danube, to arrive at final destination.
- The challenge was to deliver a gas turbine into the centre of Paris. Road movement was impractical – therefore STG chartered an ocean going barge, capable of negotiating the locks on the River Seine, to effect delivery into the heart of Paris.
- Perhaps STG are best known for their involvement in the London Eye – not only being responsible for the road movement through France of the 32 oversize, glass capsules, but also the final stage by modified Thames barges into Westminster, for direct attachment to The Wheel.
