August 31 - The Port of Felixstowe is accustomed to handling unusual and fragile loads, and this week was no exception with the arrival of Team New Zealand's Volvo Open 70 yacht on deck of the Skagen Maersk.
The one month trip from the team's base in Auckland, New Zealand has taken them via Malaysia where the yacht was transhipped onto the Maersk vessel to complete the journey to Felixstowe. Whilst in Felixstowe she will undergo preparations for the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, which starts on October 29 from Alicante in Spain.
David Gledhill, chief executive officer for Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd, which owns the Port of Felixstowe, commented: "We have worked very closely with Team New Zealand on this shipment and are pleased to have been able to accommodate the yacht in Felixstowe.
"With the additional flexibility gained through our newest cranes offering super heavy lifts of up to 100 tonnes we look forward to continued growth in the area of break-bulk shipments."
The yacht and mast packages were discharged separately and landed safely on the Felixstowe quayside where the yacht was placed, in its cradle, on one of the port's trailers, then moved along the quayside to a launch site where the yacht was lifted and placed into European waters for the first time.
The boat will stay in Felixstowe in a specially created berth facility until she sails for London and the start of the promotional tour on the September 5.
For more information on breakbulk and project cargo handling at the Port of Felixstowe please see our website atwww.portoffelixstowe.co.uk
