BigLift Shipping’s heavy lift trio, Happy Sky, Happy Star and Prinsengracht have all been deployed over the second half of last year to transport some 18,000 mt of modules for a project down under. Berth 2 at the Hay Point Coal Terminal, 30 kilometres south of Mackay, in Queensland, Australia, was upgraded after it had been since service since 1975. 

BigLift Shipping secured its contract with McConnell Dowell, consisting of multiple return shipments between Henderson, Australia, Sattahip, Tailand, and Hay Point, Australia, with the first voyage setting off in June 2022. The project took only six months to complete, with the last cargo being installed late December 2022.

The cargo included wharf jacket structures, wharf topside modules, wharf dog bone connector modules, conveyor modules and transfer towers. In its BigNews update, BigLift Shipping noted that HLVs both transported and installed the new components and removed and transported the old components in sequence.

During this shiploader and berth replacement project, most of the existing berth structure was stripped down, leaving only the large concrete caissons. The two Happy vessels being instrumental in the installation work.

The first ship on site was Happy Star. The vessel installed the three new wharf jackets, standing 33 metres high, 42 metres long and 37 metres wide and weighing approximately 1,000 mt each. They were transported from Henderson and installed onto piles in Hay Point. Six Dog Bone connectors of 38 metres long, 16 metres wide and weighing 660 mt each, came in from Sattahip by Happy Sky and were used to tie the berth structures together. Subsequenty, six wharf deck modules, 60 metres long by 30 metres wide, totalling 4,800 mt were brought in and installed both by Happy Star and Happy Sky. Both vessels also installed other, smaller modules, and also discharged to barge for local handling.

Towards the end of August, Happy Sky arrived on the scene, carrying many structures, among which the first three Topside Modules, which were to be positioned on the foundations later on. Since the demolition works were not in the critical time path for Happy Star, it was decided by the SABR project team that these three main modules were to be switched over from the Happy Sky to the Happy Star. BigLift worked out a double banking operation, where Happy Sky moored alongside Happy Star and lifted the modules onto the Happy Star, which allowed Happy Sky to sail back to Thailand to collect more structures. A unique side by side operation that had not been done with these two vessels ever before.

Further on in the project, also for Pinsengracht a double banking operation was worked out, this time with Happy Sky, which speeded up client’s schedules and maximised vessel utilisation further.

The Hay Point site has inherent weather characteristics and is often not well-suited to HLV installation works. BigLift Shipping and the client’s project team worked closely and efficiently to manage favourable weather windows and maintain construction timelines.