Travelling along the 104-kilometre-long ''ITER Itinerary,'' convoys transporting highly exceptional loads, such as this toroidal field coil from Japan (TF13), cross through 16 municipalities (here, Saint-Estève Janson).
One by one, the components for the first vacuum vessel pre-assembly are being delivered to ITER. Sets of thermal
shielding from Korea began arriving in October last year; toroidal field coil #12, procured by Japan, reached the ITER site on
25 April; and its "partner"—toroidal field coil #13, also from Japan—was received last Friday 3 July. As for the 440-tonne vacuum vessel sector that will be paired to the two Japanese coils—Sector #6—it left the port of Busan, Korea, on 28 June and is expected to reach Marseille industrial harbour before the end of July.
In the Assembly Hall, the major tools are standing ready: the
upending tool will be used to raise the heaviest elements of pre-assembly from horizontal to vertical; the
overhead cranes will transport the vacuum vessel sectors and toroidal field coils in turn to the
sector sub-assembly tools; and the sector sub-assembly tools will support all elements during assembly.