June 28 - Istanbul headquartered Project Cargo & Yacht Transport (PCYT) has completed the shipment of a 110-tonne sea bus from Hong Kong to Ambarli Port, Turkey.
The 38 m x 10 m x 14 m boat was towed from the shipyard where it was constructed and loaded onto a multi purpose vessel.
Positioning the sea bus alongside the vessel proved to be a risky operation, says PCYT, due to heavy traffic and tidal conditions at the terminal.
A tidal range of up to two metres in the terminal threatened the stability of the sea bus, which sat 1.5 m below the waterline and 8.5 m above, making it susceptible to rolling. Heavy traffic in the terminal made the load even more difficult to stabilise.
A decision was made to tow the sea bus for a second time and perform the lift in the anchorage; but even in open sea and using shackles, it took PCYT over six hours to stabilise and load the cargo.
Floats were continuously repositioned to compensate for changing tides and waves caused by vessel movments. The project team also had to cope with extreme rain and wind conditions, at 96 percent humidity.
In total, five days were required to safely tow the sea bus from the shipyard and load it onboard.
The voyage from Hong Kong to Istanbul was completed in 25 days and the sea bus was discharged directly into the water at Ambarli Port.
