Huge trailer front set on rails
Shipping partly assembled shiploaders
Scope of work
Plan, load, transport, discharge and install four partly dismantled shiploaders from Haydarpaşa (TR) to Taman (RU) – one per voyage on MV Lisa (Type 171). Components included tripper, trailer front/rear, gantry and gantry boom; the trailer front (≈53.2 × 15.8 × 29.7 m) required a bespoke hook-on and safe de-rigging method.
Methods
Procedures and rigging developed in AutoCAD with motion and lifting analyses in OrcaFlex; an on-board stability programme supported trim/GM checks and optimisation at minimum draft.
Engineering scope
Define loading, discharging and installation procedures, including a skidding approach. Engineer high-complexity rigging with custom 26 m spreader bars, temporary counterweights (waterbags) and precise sling geometry. Install deck rails and an on-board pulling/mooring configuration to position the trailer front and disconnect the rig safely; verify vessel stability and lifting clearances for tandem and single-hook operations.
A routine shipment that turned into a complex challenge
Sometimes a project appears like everyday business at first glance – but once examined closely, the complexity becomes clear. When SAL’s client Bedeschi approached with the transport of four shiploaders for the OTEKO project in Taman, Russia, it soon became evident that this would be a unique engineering task.
“The scope was clear from the beginning: safely load, transport, discharge, and install four partly dismantled shiploaders - one per voyage,” explains Florentin Edler, Project Engineer at SAL Engineering. “But to accommodate all components on our Type 171 vessel MV Lisa, we had to make use of every centimetre of the available deck space. And the so-called ‘trailer front’ posed a very specific challenge.”
Engineering a safe handling solution for the “Trailer Front”
Due to its shape and dimensions (53.2 × 15.8 × 29.7 metres, 255 tonnes), the trailer front required a custom loading concept – especially to allow safe hook-on and disconnection of rigging without causing any structural damage.
“We made use of the cargo’s own wheels to support the lifting concept,” says Edler. "SAL Engeering installed 180 metres of rails on the weather deck of MV Lisa, and designed a special onboard pulling arrangement using mooring lines to move the unit after loading. We literally slid it out of the rigging,” Edler adds.
A precisely orchestrated loading operation
The loading procedure involved four critical steps:
- Prepare rigging: traverse, grommets, shackles + waterbags for counterweight
- Move the cargo into the rigging using SPMTs
- Swing the cargo onto the vessel
- Disconnect rigging by pulling the cargo free via the onboard pulling system
The maximum lifting height of the vessel was tested to its limits. Cargo and rigging came extremely close to the ship structure, requiring millimetre-accurate guidance.
Waterbags played multiple roles:
- Keeping the rigging level during hook-on
- Helping stabilise and level the cargo during lifting
- Ensuring safe, controlled lifting geometry
Overall, the full loading process required:
✔ 8 operational days
✔ 3 tandem lifts (tripper, 460-ton gantry, gantry boom)
✔ 2 single-hook lifts (trailer front + rear)
Delivering complex cargo safely to site
All four shiploaders have since been delivered to Taman and installed successfully, with the remaining units completed during 2021.
This operation showcased SAL Engineering’s ability to tailor engineering solutions for even the most unconventional structures and cargo geometries – turning a seemingly standard shipment into a safe and successful heavy lift achievement.