Maxibor is an independent, Australian-owned Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) design and construct company with operational bases in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Maxibor provides its HDD services across the water and sewer, rail, power, gas, telecommunications, mining defence, fuel, sea cable, data centre and renewable sectors. It has one of the largest HDD fleets in Australia, including maxi-rigs, midi-rigs, rock rigs and smaller rigs with capacity to complete pipeline bores ranging from 20m to 3km in length and 63mm to 1.6m in diameter.
Maxibor is increasingly being called upon to help provide intelligent and creative solutions to complex problems faced by asset owners.
Intelligent HDD design solutions offer significant project and whole-of-life asset economies as well as helping to preserve the environment and cultural heritage.
Maxibor’s CEO and owner, Rodney O’Meley, said, “Australia is poised to take greater advantage of HDD as a solution to many of the challenges associated with pipeline projects. It is just a matter of getting the right minds together at the right stages of a project so that the full range of solutions can be considered, including HDD.”
Maxibor is seen as a dynamic leader in the HDD industry, providing significant value to asset owners and principal contractors through a cooperative approach at both the design and delivery stages of projects.
Disciplined design processes and development of comprehensive HDD construction methodologies by its experienced personnel helps to identify and address installation risks up front, and ensure the high-quality, safe, on-time and on-budget delivery of projects.
Maxibor’s fleet of horizontal directional drill includes three maxi-rigs – a Vermeer 330×500, an American Auger 660 and an electric Gallagher HDD660e, two Vermeer 100x120s, seven smaller Vermeer, and Ditch Witch rigs with hard rock capability.
Through its long-term alliance partners, it also has ready access to other maxi-rigs should the need arise. Maxibor’s cooperative approach has been recently demonstrated on the design and install of a new 400m section of water pipeline between Lamb and Macleay Islands in Queensland. With the existing pipeline slowly leaking,
Maxibor was engaged by Christopher Contracting to help Seqwater ensure continued service to the Lamb Island community. Maxibor’s experience was able to quickly provide a design which solved the problem and minimised costs. Working seven days a week, Maxibor completed the works well ahead of schedule, much to the satisfaction of the contractor and asset owner and to the relief of the Lamb Island community.
One of Maxibor’s Vermeer 100×120 midi-rigs was used to complete the pilot hole and its Vermeer 330×500 maxi-rig was used to ream the bore hole to a 550mm diameter and pull the DN400mm PN20 pipe through.
The ground conditions varied between clay, bluestone with quartz, mudstone and siltstone. An exciting recent addition to the Maxibor fleet has been its electrified Gallagher HDD660e maxi-rig (The Hulk).
The electrified spread comes with its own substation which also connects to two powerful Gardner Denver PZ9 pumps and a large Gallagher mud recycling system – capable and tested to over 4,000L per minute pumping capacity if required.
The Hulk (pictured in top image) drilling rig is capable of extended reach drilling solutions in excess of 3km from a single setup location and, depending on ground conditions, bore diameters of up to 1.6m.
Stephen Loneragan of HDD Engineering, and one of Australia’s leading and original HDD design engineers with experience in complex multidisciplinary global projects, said, “Electric spreads provide new design and delivery solutions in Australia especially for complex capital city water and sewer, power and gas projects where setup, noise, emissions, congested services and ground conditions all present challenges which need to be overcome.”
Matt Watkins of Pioneering Consultancy, who has been assisting Maxibor over the past year with its strategic positioning of the trenchless market, sees the electric trenchless technology as being a significant market differentiator for Maxibor.
“This electric solution is now well established in Europe and North America. The Hulk brings to Australian projects the opportunities for both emissions and noise reductions, much to the satisfaction of asset owners and the local community who increasingly want projects delivered in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.”
This Sponsored Editorial, is brought to you by Maxibor. For more information, contact David Turner on 0499 375 511 or visit www.maxibor.com.au.
