December 5 - BigLift Shipping's newbuild heavy lift vessel Happy Star has loaded her first cargo in Nantong, which included two large modules for an iron ore wharf under construction in Port Hedland.
The first module, which weighed 711 tonnes and measured 33 m long by 25 m wide, was place on the forward end of the main deck; while the second module, which was much larger and more awkwardly shaped, measuring 60 m long by 37 m wide at its widest point, was more of a challenge to load, said the company.
In order to manoeuvre the second module through the cranes, stairs and other protruding parts had to be removed from the base of the ship's cranes before the lifting operation could begin. In the end there was only half a metre to spare on both sides of the module as it was loaded onboard, said BigLift.
The combined weight of the shipment was 1,560 tonnes, which was no problem for Happy Star's two 900-tonne capacity heavy lift mast cranes.
