Rocket on the road? Million-pound part leaving Port Manatee stops traffic on way to Texas
The massive piece of high technology that rolled across U.S. 41 looked for all the world like a rocket ship that might be headed to outer space.
But it was 745,000 pounds of heat exchanger, manufactured by Air Products at Port Manatee, and not an interstellar craft. And instead of outer space, it was going to be barged from Port Manatee to Sabine Pass, Texas. Including the apparatus that moved it to the port, the whole outfit weighed about 1.2 million pounds.
For a few minutes Friday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol blocked traffic in both directions on the four-lane highway 41 as the 173-foot exchanger moved at walking speed toward the waiting barge.
Mark Evans plant manager for Air Products, said that it was the largest exchanger his company has built to date, but more are on the way.
“It is the first of three identical vessels we are providing to them,” Evans said. The next should be shipping sometime in March.
The piece of equipment that crossed the road on Friday was a liquefied natural gas main cryogenic heat exchanger.
It essentially liquefies natural gas, making it possible to economically ship it. Or, as one Air Products staff member once explained, once natural gas is liquefied, what originally would fill 600 bottles can be reduced to one bottle.
The liquefied natural gas is eventually converted back to a gas for energy use.
Among those watching the heat exchanger moving to the port was Virginia Zimmerman, director of communications and public relations for Port Manatee.
“It shows the diversity of Port Manatee and that we can handle larger cargo like this,” she said.
Awaiting delivery of the heat exchanger is Golden Pass LNG in Sabine Pass.
“The existing liquefied natural gas terminal is among the largest in the world, and it will soon include liquefaction and export capabilities,” Golden Pass says on its web site.
Air Products has had a manufacturing facility at Port Manatee since 2014.
The Allentown, Pennsylvania-based company bought its 32-acre property in 2012 for about $6 million. Having a port just across the street capable of shipping its big products was a plus.
Air Products signed an economic development incentive agreement with Manatee County to create 250 jobs over four years, under which it would be paid $1,500 for each job paying at least $44,360.
Currently, Air Products has 280 full-time jobs at its Port Manatee facility, working three shifts. It has 15 production technicians position open. Welding experience is preferred but not essential, Evans said.
The Air Products workforce is up from the 120 it had in 2018 when it completed an equipment test facility and began expanding its manufacturing facility.
