Today, heavy lift vessels. The University of Houston presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.
Toys under a Christmas tree bring joy to kids. But not always for parents. Parents might have to do more than just a little assembly. Items with many parts - bikes, basketball hoops, trampolines - they can cause parents to panic. Imagine the relief if, say, a large trampoline arrived fully assembled!
"Assembly required" can also be a huge problem in construction sites around the world -- especially when they must meet deadlines. That's why we want to send pre-assembled items. But how do we ship large pre-assembled cargo around the world? One way is with specialized "heavy lift vessels" -- ships that let companies ship and receive massive assembled equipment. Think how that can reduce assembly time at a job site.
Refinery Equipment Cargo Offloading from Heavy Lift Vessel. Ship in Balance.
Photo Credit: UTC Overseas, Inc.
Today, we define "heavy lift" as a single piece of cargo weighing over a hundred tons. Think about items like port cranes, power generators, wind blades & turbines ... They don't fit inside ocean containers. We need special equipment to lift them on and off a ship. The familiar container ship typically carries smaller cargoes for retail stores. But we need specialized vessels, with incredible deck strength and stability, to handle the weight of these massive machines.
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Vessel Crew Guiding Heavy Lift Refinery Equipment Cargo for Safety
Photo Credit: UTC Overseas, Inc.
Mariners have used heavy lift vessels to carry such cargo for almost a century. One of the very first such shipments was done by Norwegian ship owner Christen Smith. Smith was first to carry fully assembled steam locomotives from Great Britain to Belgium, after World War I.
Many ports around the world lack huge port cranes to load and offload vessels. A heavy lift vessel (supervised by a skilled captain) can come ready with its own cranes to load and offload. The vessel crew and port workers plan each lift. They rehearse it for safety. To load a heavy lift item, they first pump seawater into the vessel's tanks. Then, they pump out water as the ship starts to tip under added weight. The ship stays in balance.
Top View of Heavy Lift Crane with Refinery Equipment Cargo 'On the Vessel Crane's Hook'
Photo Credit: UTC Overseas, Inc.
Once the cargo's on board, the crew "unhooks" it from the crane. They then chain and secure the cargo to withstand heavy seas during the voyage. A rocking vessel must not let the cargo move or the ship becomes a gigantic rattle. The goods will be damaged. Of course, the captain chooses the speediest possible route - one that also skirts hurricanes or other bad weather.
Top View of Refinery Equipment Cargo Stowed in the Hold of Heavy Lift Vessel
Photo Credit: UTC Overseas, Inc.
Today's ships have evolved to meet global demand. As nations build refineries, cement plants, or power plants, they need large scale items from overseas. When they buy such equipment from a continent away, heavy lift vessels are the answer. They deliver fully assembled items and save weeks, months, and possibly years of additional work for the people that need them.
I'm Marco Poisler at the University of Houston, where we're interested in the way inventive minds work.
Books
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Periodicals
"Special Transport Vessels," Marine and Offshore Technology, August 1990.
"The Dry Transport of the Green Canyon Tension Leg Wellhead Platform by a SemiÂsubmersible Heavy-Lift Ship," Offshore Technology Conference, May 7-10, 1990.
"Giving USS Cole a Lift,"" Professional Mariner, April/May 2001.
This episode was first aired on August 10, 2021