PRESS RELEASE – Höegh Autoliners has shipped three 45-metre long rotor blades from Santander to Melbourne in Australia. The ro/ro carrier was contracted by DSV Projects Portugal which transported the blades overland from the factory in Portugal to the Spanish port. 

“Due to the project deadline, Höegh’s dependable liner service from Spain to Australia offered the customer the most reliable ocean transport. Additionally, our New Horizon vessels sailing in this trade, provide a wider ramp capacity than other vessels, and safe underdeck stowage which is an advantage when transporting these unusually long sensitive cargoes”, says Pablo Guerrero, Höegh’s sales manager in Spain.

Because of the length of the rotor blades, it was not possible to transport them on roll trailers. The solution was to drive the rotor blades onboard the vessel with the road trailer they were transported on. Once inside, they would be placed directly on the vessel’s deck. With a combined total length of 50 metres, this required the cargo operations team to come up with a solution to ensure the operation was as safe as possible.

“This is where our competence and experience with oversized cargo is put to the test. Our solution was based on a concept we used previously to successfully ship 33-metre long wind blades by fitting extra beams, specific to the shape of the cargo to provide additional support during both the loading and ocean transportation”, comments cargo superintendent Roger Duran.

With the extra beams welded on the rotor blade’s transportation cradles, it allows the team to move the blades from the road trailer on to the vessel’s deck, by using forklifts working in tandem from both ends of the blades. “The concept is quite simple, but it requires skilled stevedoring”, Duran adds.