September 28 - The Abnormal Load Services (International) Ltd project team in Hull, UK, has organised the first export charter shipment of a demolition machine for UK demolition company Coleman & Company.
The Liebherr UHR telescopic demolition machine R984C featuring a 24 m long, almost 5 m high, 62 tonne Kocurek telescopic demolition arm with attachments was shipped on a chartered ship by ALS from Hull, UK last month and is due to arrive in Lyttleton Port, Christchurch, New Zealand in mid October.
"It is believed that this will be the largest machine of its kind in the southern hemisphere", said an ALS spokesperson.
To assess the potential shipping configurations and lashing and securing requirements ALS carried out a pre-shipment survey of the machine during its final UK operation.
As this particular shipment was extremely time sensitive shipment, and the only available heavy lift ship in position did not have heavy enough cranes to lift the cargo and a ro-ro option was not possible, the ALS' project team suggested an alternative solution and worked with its client to arrange to split the main body of the machine into two parts.
The R984C Liebherr machine consists of eight sections and was lifted off the trailer onto the vessel with the ship's crane.
ALS overcame strong wind conditions to ensure the tandem lift operation of the cargo onto the specialist heavy lift charter vessel was carried out safely and without damage to the machine which has a cargo value estimated at: GBP5 million (USD7.8million).
ALS' own in-house ships agency department facilitated all port state and operational control matters including customs, immigration, port health, pilots, tugs and stevedores, as well as hotwork permits for welding and lashing operations.
On leaving the UK the vessel's route took in ports in Florida and subsequent passage through the Panama Canal to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Upon arrival in New Zealand the demolition machine will be used to assist the clean up operation in Christchurch following the New Zealand earthquake earlier this year.
