The church, 672 tons heavy and 40 meters wide, is transported on a trailer with 224 wheels controlled on the ground by an operator with remote control.
Veidekke is the main contractor for the move on behalf of LKAB, but for the equipment's progress, the subcontractor Mammoet from the Netherlands is responsible. The company is specialized in advanced moves – and it will be the third religious building that they transport, says Davide Andreani, head of Europa projects at Mammoet.
About 20 years ago, we moved an 800-year-old stone church in Germany. And in 2015, we moved a mosque in Saudi Arabia.
Transported five kilometers
For the mosque, it was a short trip of one kilometer, but in Germany, the church journey was twice as long as the five kilometers that Kiruna church is transported, says Andreani.
All moves are complicated in their own way, he answers to the question of whether the transport through Kiruna city is the most advanced that the company has carried out.
All have their own challenges and there are different requirements that must be met. So it is always challenging, but also interesting, he says.
Single operator
The equipment in Kiruna is controlled by a single operator, but there are many more involved on the ground.
It is a very large piece we have to move, so one person cannot see everything. Therefore, we have two experienced supervisors who know how to handle situations that arise, and we have several scouts to get additional eyes.
But how do you learn to drive a church?
In the end, it does not matter that it is a church when it is to be transported, it is more about what the requirement picture looks like. That is what has been studied with Veidekke for several years, to know how the structure behaves together with the trailer.
The church is expected to arrive at its final destination in new Kiruna center on Wednesday afternoon.
