Advance International, the specialist project cargo forwarder, is claiming that its recent shipment of heat exchangers from Port Kelang, Malaysia to Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia broke all transit time records for an ocean voyage by a cargo ship between the two countries.

Loaded on CEC Copenhagen, the seven heat exchangers, with weights between 101 and 227 tonnes, will be used in the new multi-million dollar Saudi Methanol Company’s AR-Razi V methanol plant, currently being constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

CEC Copenhagen completed the voyage from Port Kelang in Malaysia to Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia in seven days and 20 hours. A journey of almost 3500 nautical miles, at an average speed of over 18.5 knots.

Advance International is the principal freight forwarder contracted by MHI to project manage shipments from all over the world consisting of thousands of items of equipment that are being used to construct the complex. When the AR-Razi V plant opens in 2008, Saudi Methanol’s complex will be the world`s largest single production site for methanol, able to produce millions of tonnes annually.

Commenting on the shipment, Jawad Kamel, Advance International’s President and CEO, said: “Not only was this a record breaking ocean voyage, but I’m pleased to report that the landside logistics in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia also went without a hitch and all items arrived at the methanol plant in perfect condition.”