August 25 - Hansa Heavy Lift has shipped five pipe racks and three oversize modules, weighing a total of 1,871.51 tonnes, for a new floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit off the coast of Brazil.
With a total volume of 24,075 cu m, the consignment was loaded on board HHL Valparaiso at the Brazilian ports of Itajaí and Rio de Janeiro, and transported to Qingdao in China, where the equipment will undergo final outfitting before being delivered back to Brazil.
The pipe racks and modules belong to the FPSO unit P-67, which is being designed for the pre-salt clusters off the coast of Brazil. The heaviest unit loaded on board the Hansa ship weighed in at 730 tonnes.
"Our in-house team of engineers worked closely with the customer from the onset of the order to come up with the most viable and cost-effective transport solution for this very complex project," said Joerg Roehl, chief commercial officer at Hansa.
"This included custom-built grillage for load-spreading on deck to accommodate the heavy modules, the modification of lifting lugs and the installation of platforms for safe access."
Ian Broad, director of cargo management at Hansa, added: "We also had limited cargo information which meant a cargo inspection was necessary to assess the clash of rigging arrangements with the equipment and protrusions."
The heavy lift shipping company noted that it also faced a number of other challenges during the project, including draft and navigational restrictions at the river passage in Itajaí, tight stowage and a long waiting time at all ports.
