July 2 - Global Shipping Services has successfully delivered a 155-tonne crankcase to a chemical refinery in Plaquemine, Louisiana, ahead of schedule, despite obstacles en route, writes Isabel Freedman.
The crankcase was shipped into the US port of New Orleans onboard the multipurpose heavy lift vessel Sluisgracht, which is owned and operated by Spliethoff. The cargo was then loaded directly onto an inland deck barge using the ship's own gear.
Due to the weight of the crankcase, it was denied a road permit by the state department of transport. Therefore a multimodal transport solution was devised to deliver the crankcase and other accessories.
The barge's journey up the Intercoastal Waterway system was hindered by heavy fog and further delayed due to a broken drawbridge, which Global Shipping, along with the local department of transport representatives, were able to repair in approximately 30 hours, said the company.
After finally reaching the offload point, and once lightning storms had passed, an SPMT was used to remove the cargo from the barge. At which point, Global Shipping used a tractor unit to transport the crankcase the remaining 10 miles (16 km) of the journey to its final destination.
Global Shipping Services is a member of the XLProjects network.
