January 4 - A decommissioned submarine that will form a centrepiece of an eco-park in Malaysia has been transported above the waves from France to the country by Jumbo Shipping and its partners.
The 1,100 tonne submarine, Ouessant S623 , a 1978-built French navy Agosta-class submarine decommissioned in 2001 and subsequently sold to the Malaysian navy for training, was moved by Jumbo from Brest, France to Malacca, Malaysia. A special framework had to be designed in order for the submarine to stay intact during lifting on and off Jumbo's Fairpartner and during transport over sea and land. When loaded off the Fairpartner , Jumbo also took care of the transport over land. The submarine will become part of the Melaka Eco Park .
The main challenge was not the weight nor its shape but its relatively thin and flexible outer hull. The space between the stiff and pressure-resistant inner hull and the outer hull is merely meant for storing ballast water. Connecting the lifting wires more or less directly to the outside hull, would have badly damaged the vessel.
In order to deal with this complex challenge, Jumbo worked with Delft University of Technology, engineering agency Saltwater and the French navy contributed to finding the best lifting and transport solution.
Meanwhile, big-hearted managers at Jumbo have donated a USD5,000 award to the heavy lift shipping line for safety initiatives to Ronald McDonald House in Rotterdam, Holland. The house offers a home close to the hospital or rehabilitation centre to parents and siblings of children who are ill or disabled. Families can stay in the house during the treatment of their child while remaining close by.
Technip's Project Safety Incentive Scheme awarded USD5,000 to mark Jumbo's continuing safety campaign 'Stay Well', the main goal of which is to increase safety awareness of staff.
