AAL announced that it completed operation for the disassembly and disposal of berth and shiploader components at a terminal in Australia.

The operation is on the disassembly of Berth 2 at the Hay Point Coal Terminal in Queensland and its subsequent shipment to Henderson, Western Australia for disposal.

AAL said the transport comprised of seven packages with a total weight of 1,412MT / 8,929CBM, and the cargo was moved in a single sailing onboard the 19,000 deadweight S-Class 700 tonne max heavy lift vessel, the AAL Fremantle, for global logistics provider, Geodis Australia.

 
"All aspects of the loading operation were extensively evaluated and planned – starting with the mooring of the AAL Fremantle to the old Berth itself where she was heavily exposed to wind, waves, current, tide, and vessel motion," said Nicola Pacifico, head of transport engineering at AAL, adding that these conditions needed to be factored into the lifting methodology along with load spreading and cargo sea fastening.

"Having multiple contractors and authorities working simultaneously required the development of complex risk assessments and mitigation, emergency procedures, and a coordination matrix to ensure that every stage was delivered to highest safety standards," Pacifico added, further saying that due to the complex nature of the lifting operation, a Project Engineer and Cargo Superintendent from Singapore was sent to oversee the loading and stowage operation.

"The level of engineering and operational oversight that AAL provided was not only crucial to reducing risk, down-time, and operational costs, but also provided our customer and stakeholders a high level of reassurance of a positive outcome – which we ultimately delivered," the head of transport engineering at AAL said.
 
Ben Williams, project manager of Project Logistics at Geodis Australia, for his part noted that the transport was a "complex and demanding" project shipment and required a huge effort from Geodis and AAL's team.

"Transporting heavy lift berth and shiploader components from Hay Point to Henderson required regular pre-planning meetings – not to mention constant onsite dialogue with AAL representatives who travelled from Singapore to oversee works. It was the first time that a heavy lift vessel had performed such an operation there and AAL's solution was executed flawlessly," Williams said.