Helicopter International Shipping Services needed to transport two helicopters to Jebel Ali and approached Gosselin Logistics, member to the Worldwide Project Consortium (WWPC) for Belgium, to take on the task. The fuselages were picked up from a MAFI roll trailer and transferred by truck to be re-stowed on a 40ft flat rack at the Gosselin facility. The helicopters were then transported to the Port of Antwerp and loaded onto a container vessel.
Ronny Michiels, the customer project leader, explained that the team had already loaded the 40ft flat-racks onto the trailers the day before and stored them inside the secured warehouse to save time and costs during the loading process. The team started their day at 3:40 am to enable the drivers to pick up the loaded trailers from the secured facility.
Around 5 am, the team arrived at the terminal, announced themselves to security, and prepared for discharge. Both trucks were guided next to the vessel in the vicinity of the gantry crane for unloading and direct transfer onto the container vessel. The lifting was executed at a slow pace to ensure the safety of the precious cargo. Wooden dunnage and rubber were placed underneath the 40ft flat-racks to avoid skidding, and both 40ft flat-racks were secured by chain lashings. A few hours later, the operation was concluded. Ronny confirmed that it was "another job well done" and attributed their success to proper planning, preparation, and a dedicated crew.
