Cost reduction, as well as cutting CO2 emissions are the driving forces behind decisions to combine cargo for multiple projects whenever possible. General Electric (GE) turned to BigLift Shipping, part of the Spliethoff Group when looking to optimise its deliveries. 

In three voyages, GE combined cargoes for three wind farm projects in the Netherlands, deploying its vessel Pauwgracht on two occasions and its sister vessel Pietersgracht once. From Aliaga and Izmir, both in Turkey, they shipped a total of 26 sets of towers and 20 sets of blades to their home port of Amsterdam.

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There, a hub was created to tranship the 166-metre towers and 80.4-metre blades by trailer to their final destinations near Dronten, in the Flevopolder, 70 kilometres East of Amsterdam. They are being installed there under the scope of GE.

As part of the optimisation project, the timing of this inland transport schedule had to fit exactly with the vessels’ arrival from Turkey, so being able to sail exactly on time was a major factor in making this project a success, BigLift Shipping said in its recent BigNews issue.

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