Höegh Autoliners has delivered a shipment of furnace parts from Durban, South Africa to Singapore on behalf of Themba Dry Cargo.
The shipment consisted of two large tilting frames, each weighing 18 tonnes, and two furnace shells weighing 21.1 tonnes each. A mobile crane transferred the items from trailers directly onto Höegh’s roll trailers.
The width of the units on the 40 ft roll trailers presented a challenge as there was a 2 m overhang on the tilting frames and a 1.35 m overhang on the furnace shells.
Höegh’s port captain who supervised the operation explained: “Because of the overhang, the risk of damage is high. To ensure the cargo could be safely loaded on board, we had to have an optimal angle of approach and the ground clearance of the overhang had to be increased. We therefore added extra dunnage beneath the cargo to increase its height.”
Once all of the cargo was safely aboard Höegh Osaka, additional dunnage support was placed on each side of the cargo overhang to prevent any movement and protect the pieces during their journey.
Soraya Safedien, Höegh Autoliners sales manager in South Africa, said that many customers on the continent still think that ro-ro vessels only transport cars. However: “Höegh Autoliners has extensive experience in shipping out-of-gauge breakbulk cargo and consequently we presented this to the customer.”
