HANSA HEAVY LIFT delivers exceptionally long reactor

HHL Richards Bay successfully discharged two reactors, one measuring 56 meters long, at the Port of New Orleans/ USA, at the beginning of August.

The cargo included one reactor weighing 830 metric tons with a length of 39 meters and another, with a weight of 405 metric tons and a length of 56 meters. Both reactors were delivered by barge and loaded waterside in Mumbai/India on board one of HANSA HEAVY LIFT’s P2-series vessels, equipped with two cranes having a combined lifting capacity of 1400 metric tons. “Due to the length of the reactor at 56 meters it was not possible to load the piece parallel. The solution to the operation was to swing the smallest crane away to its maximum outreach. The crane with the lifting capacity of 700 metric tons was topping and swinging first, so that the reactor could pass the second crane. The other crane needed to follow this line. Finally the piece was over the hold and kept parallel while being lowered into the hold,” said Heiner Heise, Cargo Superintendent at HANSA HEAVY LIFT. While loading the heaviest piece of 830 metric tons there was only a ten centimeter clearance on each side of the beam underneath the cargo so the piece had to be lifted straight up. “Heavy load platforms were placed under each saddle to distribute the weight. Prior to this we ensured all the measurements were exact as we would not be able to move the heavy lift platforms once the cargo was in place,” stated Ian Broad, Director Cargo Management, HANSA HEAVY LIFT. In addition, the HANSA HEAVY LIFT crew was challenged by the load spreading required on the vessel’s tank top. The reactors were safely discharged at the Port of New Orleans. “We have the in-house engineering expertise to deal with the increasingly larger cargoes that our customers present to us. Our very capable ships and equipment as well as the expertise of the crew enabled us to successfully tackle this challenging move,” said Joerg Roehl, CCO and Managing Director, HANSA HEAVY LIFT.