July 13 - Turkey headquartered Bati Group has completed the launch of a 780-tonne yacht built at the Aliayachts shipyard in the south of the country.
Kaan Aydin, project developer at Bati Group, explained that the yacht's owner did not want it to be touched by a sling. Therefore it was impossible to complete the launch using conventional craneage.
Instead, Bati Group utilised self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) and a RollDock semi-submersible ship to launch the newly built 60 m long yacht in a roll-on, float-off operation.
Initially, the yacht was lifted and secured to the SPMTs. "While we carried out the transportation from the shipyard to the shore, a semi-submersible vessel docked from the aft," explained Aydin.
The SPMT combination rolled directly onto the semi-submersible and lowered the superyacht into position. The SPMTs were removed and the semi-submersible was positioned in deeper water, in preparation for the final stage of the launch.
The RollDock vessel submerged, enabling the yacht to emerge from its foundations and float on the water's surface. A tug then pulled the yacht away from the semi-submersible.
A video of the project can be seen below.
