Rising shipping costs have impacted numerous sectors, but they have been felt particularly hard among industries that normally utilize heavy lift vessels. This has made some transportations unviable and also resulted in a growing need for ports with greater crane capacity, as ports now need to be able to perform the offloading of increasingly heavy items from non-geared cargo vessels. Without this capability, entire regions risk losing out on newer, more complex construction projects.
Procurement and logistics provider CAB van der Vinne needed to transport a multicat vessel from the UAE to Nigeria. The Rebecca Multicat tugboat was originally due to be transported on a heavy lift vessel; however, following the huge increase in global shipping costs this became unfeasible and CAB van der Vinne turned to Mammoet for a more cost-effective alternative.
Mammoet was able to propose an efficient solution thanks to its global reach combined with the capabilities of its fleet enabled the company to project manage both the loading of the multicat in Dubai, as well as propose a solution for the offloading at Lagos.
Following the strategic partnership agreement between Mammoet and Lagos Deep Offshore Logistic Base (LADOL) in 2020, Mammoet installed its Mammoet Terminal Crane (MTC 15) at LADOL’s quayside to increase the project cargo capacity of the ports for industrial projects. The MTC 15 transformed LADOL’s quayside into a high-capacity fully independent heavy lifting terminal, thereby unlocking faster and more efficient routes for project cargo in Nigeria. With a load moment matching a 1,200t crawler crane or a large floating sheerleg, the MTC 15 offers capacity for loads up to 600t to be lifted to and from any quay.
The operation began in Dubai, where Mammoet’s team in the UAE oversaw the loading of the 320t multicat onto a vessel at SAQR Port in Ras-Al-Khaimah bound for Nigeria. Once the vessel arrived at the LADOL quayside, the MTC 15 carefully lifted the multicat from the vessel, then safely lowered it directly into Nigerian waters.
The multicat vessel, destined to undertake various assignments on a dredging project in Lagos, was the largest weight ever offloaded at the LADOL base. The MTC 15 was the only crane capable to receive the cargo in the ports of Lagos from a non-geared cargo vessel.
Commenting on the successful heavy lift, Joop van der Vinne, Director of CAB van der Vinne, said: “It has been a pleasure to be part of this record breakbulk lift in Nigeria. After a long journey that started in the UAE, the Rebecca Multicat Tugboat was safely lowered onto Lagos waters.”
“There are only two MTC 15 cranes in the world. With one at the LADOL quayside, customers operating in Nigeria have the opportunity to use extremely cost-effective logistics and shipping solutions.” he added.
Jide Jadesimi, LADOL’s Executive Director, Business Development said: “This high-tech lift was carried out with all stakeholders involved in perfect unison. The decades of experience, unrelenting hard work and constant flow of communication between the entire team meant the project worked like clockwork. We’d like to thank the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), whose marine division supported the project, including the timely and skilled deployment of the NPA tugboats, which were instrumental in accurately maneuvering the large cargo vessel during the heavy lift. We look forward to supporting a range of local and regional projects in the near future.”
Olivier Dirkzwager, Sales Manager for Mammoet West Africa said: “LADOL’s infrastructure combined with Mammoet’s MTC 15 crane – a unique piece of heavy lifting equipment, unlocks smarter, more efficient routes for heavy cargo in Nigeria. The successful delivery and discharge of the multicat is a testament to that and we expect it to be the first of many more successful projects.”
The installation of the MTC 15 will benefit numerous industrial sectors across West Africa, ensuring that the region is able to attract general fabrication jobs as well as the complex construction projects that are in increasing demand – in Nigeria and across West Africa.