Huge Natural Gas Unit Begins Trip From Tulsa To Africa

A Tulsa firm built a giant piece of oil field equipment that is headed to Africa.

The 41-foot-tall "dehydration unit" sucks the water out of natural gas so the gas can be pumped through pipelines.

Earlier this week, the large piece of equipment was transported to the Port of Catoosa on its first leg of a trip to the African coast.

Tulsa's Engineering Technology Incorporated started building the pieces back in 2007.  Another Tulsa company, ISTI Plant Services, assembled them.

Crews loaded it onto a trailer Monday morning and it took 96 wheels to move it.

"I am really happy to see it driving away. Being on it for this long, a project that really should have just taken a couple years maximum. Yes, we're really glad to see it go," said Project manager Dwight Rhodes.

The equipment is now being loaded onto a barge and will be taken down the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. From there it sails to Houston, Texas where it will be loaded on a ship bound for South Korea and then on to Africa.