March 23 - Happy Star, which joined the fleet of BigLift Shipping in December 2014, has delivered two huge ship loaders destined for the Port of Sept-
The shiploaders were loaded in Port of Longxue in Nansha, China, for a 43-day, 10,275-nautical-mile voyage via the Panama Canal.
The new equipment will complete the facility, increasing its loading capacity to make it the largest in North America.
The cargo consisted of two shiploaders, including elevator and tripper car, and 27 conveyor galleries totalling 73 components and weighing in at 3,023 tonnes, with each shiploader weighing 1,200 tonnes.
The equipment manufacturer, Sandvik Canada, developed an innovative solution to carry the shiploaders, conveyors, and components aboard a single ship and ensure they were unloaded in the proper sequence to optimise installation dockside.
This was Happy Star's maiden voyage to North America, and the ship and its remarkable cargo even attracted the attention of the producers of the Discovery Channel show Mighty Ships. A camera team from the show joined the vessel for its Panama Canal crossing in order to put together a feature on the transport and unloading of these giant machines at the Port of Sept-Îles.
