In recent years Tuscor Lloyds has been heavily involved in providing logistics services to some large high-profile developments in the Gulf of Mexico region. Sometimes jobs can seem small when viewed as part of the big picture. In the movement of a single component part however, one can see a reflection of the complexity and difficulty of the wider project.

The brief was to ship the consignment from the UK to arrival in New Orleans. This heavy, cumbersome and large cable reel was 50 tonnes. Safely lifting a heavy piece like this is difficult let alone preparing it for shipment by deep sea. In this case the large cable reel was delivered to port by the shipper. But the difficult part was to come.

With delays in port, the planned loading was not simple and the window was very tight. 2 flat rack containers were first positioned on board the vessel. Using the container lifting rig, the loose cargo had to be lifted directly onto the flat racks and secured on board. The weight and shape of the reel meant that the planners insisted stowage was to be along the centre line of the ship.

The retrospective fitting of strapping, chains and chocks quickly and to the satisfaction of the ship owner is a difficult task. A high level of skill and expertise is required. Tuscor Lloyds’ project managers have the right kind of experience and engaged a third party marine surveyor to oversee the operation and ensure the job was completed to an exceptionally high standard. In difficult conditions and under severe time pressure the lashing team and stevedoring contractors successfully secured the cargo for the voyage across the Atlantic. The shipment of the large cable reel was safely sent on its way and the customer fulfilled another important contract for their important client.

Normally this kind of cargo only goes on conventional vessels. But due to the vessel planning experience of personnel at Tuscor Lloyds we were able to ship this on a container vessel as under deck stowage. Another successful venture by the company and another satisfied customer.

The project cargo team in Manchester fortunately has a specialist team based in Ireland who have the experience and expertise to handle complicated and sensitive movements involving break bulk freight such as this. Measuring 9.5 x 4 x 4 metres and weighing in at 4500Kgs, this was no easy task. The customer handed over the shipment ready packed onto suitable cradles ready for transport to the port. A specialist low loader transport vehicle was also provided, however the projects team still had to jump through the necessary hoops in order to secure the road permits and escorts to allow safe passage of the cargo to Antwerp port.

Of course, as is normally the case when shipping project cargoes, things don’t run as smoothly as anticipated. The road trip was affected by some technical issues with the permit documents provided by the authorities and this delayed the arrival to Antwerp. There was a tight window of opportunity to make the vessel and delivery to quay had to be timed with the port facilities and the loading of the vessel. Time was booked to lift the cargo off the trailer and into the belly of the vessel. The client required the shipment to be stowed under deck and the team at Tuscor Lloyds had to persuade the carrier to plan in enough clearance for the lift during the loading sequence of other freight into the vessel. This became increasingly difficult as the shipment became delayed by the road permits. After some discussions with the loading team, the shipping line made the necessary allowances in order to allow the break bulk cargo to be lifted and safely secured on board.

This shipment ran smoothly in the end thanks to the expertise and knowledge of our projects team. Credit should be given also to the local agent, who took care of the customs documentation and ensured all items passed for inspection at the port. As usual our stevedoring partners in Antwerp did an excellent job and ensured the cargo was safely loaded and secured on board as per the customer requirements. Yet another complicated job done well by the project managers at Tuscor Lloyds, leaving another happy customer keen to use the specialist forwarding desk for their future break bulk requirements.

As an experienced and well-known project forwarder, Tuscor Lloyds normally gets the call when the shipment is difficult or needs to be completed on a short timescale or low budget. This project cargo was a challenge in all these ways. The contractor client was relieved when the shipment departed from port in time as per agreements made with their customer. In addition, all the components travelling on the same vessel would mean quick and easy assembly of the ROV at the final destination. ROV systems are engineered to precise specifications and this cargo was no exception. The shipment had to be handled very carefully as there are sensitive mechanics and electronics built into the machine.

In the past these useful remote controlled units have been made famous by high profile salvage operations, such as the Titanic. More recently observation and maintenance crews working an ROV in the Gulf of Mexico filmed a collapsed exploratory rig leaking oil into the sea over a mile below the surface. The dramatic pictures could not have taken without ROV technology and created massive publicity when they were beamed around the world.

ROVs have an extremely important role in the development of new oilfields. Increasingly these are located out in the further reaches of underwater continental shelves. For many industries (including the oil and gas industry) demand for resources around the world requires drilling, mining and other large scale processes to be carried out in some of the most challenging environments on the planet. The ROV has become essential for the successful drilling of deep sea oilfields and it is the main tool used to carry out work in these hard to reach places.

This particular ROV system was being used for subsea surveying and exploration of the newly discovered deep sea oil fields in the South China Sea. Tuscor Lloyds was commissioned to ship the consignment up to port at Singapore. Components were picked up from various parts of the UK, some from Newcastle and some from Aberdeen.

It was very time sensitive cargo, covering the road transport and everything had to be timed to perfection in order to avoid any waiting time for the transport company or the vessel.

The job was completed with satisfaction to all parties concerned.

Due to the extreme weight of this reel, it was not possible to truck it to the loading port in Antwerp, Belgium. Our projects team therefore arranged a feeder/coaster vessel to collect cargo directly from the shippers terminal in Newcastle. The break bulk cargo once loaded was taken to Antwerp port to be trans-loaded onto the mother vessel bound for the Far East.

Tuscor Lloyds extensive experience with such break bulk movements meant this huge oversized & heavyweight reel arrived its destination in Singapore without a hitch.

Measuring 5m x 3m x 4.2m and weighing in at 60 tonnes, this was no easy task, but as you can expect from our dedicated team, the problem was solved by loading the cargo as breakbulk on to 3 x 20’ flat racks ensuring it arrived safely at its destination.

The time frame and last minute urgency of the shipment meant that all the stops had to be pulled out to get this cargo accepted and loaded for the relevant vessel.

Despite the numerous obstacles involved, not to mention the weight, Tuscor Lloyds managed to successfully deliver the cargo on time to a very happy customer in Vietnam.

This cable car was damaged and had to be returned to origin for necessary repairs.

All securing / lashing were done within the time scale provided by various personnel and shipment was effected smoothly. By having the advantage of ground staff available in Mexico City and at Veracruz Airport the job was accomplished from pick up Mexico City to Veracruz within 3 working days thanks to the dedication of the Tuscor Lloyds team in Mexico.

The most difficult for the shipper was obtaining the number of containers required and securing sufficient space on the vessel for all 35 containers in a market where vessels are fully booked for over a period of 2 months. However, due to the knowledge of Tuscor Lloyds UK and Tuscor Lloyds Brazil, the shipment was secured, shipped and delivered to the consignee with the time scale given.