December 13 - Leading German heavy lift shipping line, BBC Chartering won a contract to transport radio telescope antennas for what is currently the largest cosmic project on earth, the ALMA observatory in the Chilean Andes.
For this project, 25 antennas have been ordered from the European AEM consortium, which were shipped from Aviles, Spain to Antofagasta, Chile (pictured below).
BBC shipped a further 12 antennas from Kobe, Japan to Mejilones, Chile. Three more are due to ship in December onBBC Colorado, and six in 2012.
Svend Andersen, managing director of BBC, said: "We like to thank our partners for trusting our abilities and the opportunity to deliver our part to this important scientific programme."
"The availability of vessels with own lifting gear and the flexibility to load in Aviles, Spain on the regular European service to the West Coast of Latin America were major arguments pro BBC Chartering," confirms Ulrich Kleckers ofalca transitarios S.A., the Spanish logistics firm responsible for arranging the transport of the steel structures for the European antennas, built by Asturfeito SA in Aviles.
BBC Chartering offers an extensive network of liner services around the world. Through the BBC Andino Express Line and the BBC Americana Line the company offers two regular connections from Europe to South America. The first handles transports destined for the West Coast, the second to the East Coast of Latin America. The company also recently introduced a Mediterranean liner service to the East Coast of Latin America.
