April 1 - SAL Heavy Lift has completed a major project to transport and install a 1,250-tonne coal shiploader, owned and operated by the Adani Mining Company, at Abbot Point in Queensland, Australia.
The project began last year, when SAL transported the shiploader on board the heavy lift vessel Lone from Abbot Point to New Port shipyard at Mokpo in South Korea for refurbishment and upgrading.
The shiploader was then returned to Abbot Point earlier this month onboard SAL's Svenja, which has a 2,000-tonne lifting capacity.
"A key point in this project was the difficulty of loading the shiploader from the jetty in open water at Abbot Point and returning it to the same position," explained Justin Archard, managing director of SAL Heavy Lift, Singapore Pte Ltd and Australia Pty Ltd.
"This was made complex by the big difference in height of the jetty above the water line and the height of the ship's deck. It meant lifting the ship loader very high to achieve sufficient clearance," he added. "Issues of tidal range and vessel stability were instrumental in the planning stage."
Prior to upgrading, the shiploader weighed 1,050 tonnes but following its upgrade, weighed in at 1,250 tonnes due to steel and other material additions.
