Issue link: https://jocdigital.uberflip.com/i/957444
18 The Journal of Commerce | April 2018 www.joc.com Breakbulk & Project Cargo Vettom said the 14-day sailing went smoothly, but Wilhelmsen realized the consignee, in this case the Chittagong Port Authority, could face the same problems other ship- pers encounter when their destina- tion is Bangladesh. "The problem was we were going into one of the most congested ports in the world, with two 400-ton cranes on board, where ships can wait up to 15 days to get a berth," he explained. "Since the cranes were con- signed to Chittagong port, we sug- gested priority berthing on arrival would be an ideal clause that IMCC could bring into their agreement with the receiver. IMCC put this forward to Chittagong Port Author- ity and secured their acceptance for the performing ship to avoid any waiting charges or demurrage," he said. On arrival, there was a "slight weather problem" and Bangladesh waters were rough, Vettom recalled. But "we made the deadline," he said. "Everything went very smooth," IMCC's Joseph told The Journal of Commerce. "It was the best opera- tion we've ever had." l email: chris@cbarnmedia.com hands," Vettom said. Plus, they were heading into the year-end holidays where all businesses, including mari- time trade, slow down. Eventually, Vettom, Navaloor and some of their Dubai colleagues "had to push our daily work aside" for Wil- helmsen's 35 offices around the world, "and focus completely on this move." United Heavylift was chosen as the carrier. The performing vessel was the Pacific Winter, a ship with 19,000-deadweight-ton capacity and two 400-ton cranes. Then the real work began, starting with the loading. IMCC has a dedicated quay where the cranes are built and then propelled on their own power onto a spacer barge moored at the manufacturer's private jetty to achieve a better draft, Vettom said. The cranes were rolled onto the barge alongside the vessel, one at a time, and lifted into position on deck. Each crane move and loading took about three hours. Fastening the outsize cargo onboard took 60 people, working in shifts, to weld and assemble the support structures. United Heavylift required it be completed within a 36-hour window before sailing. The schedule was met. LIFE AFTER DIVORCE has been good for Ukrainian heavy-lift cargo operator Antonov Airlines, which is consolidating its position as an in- dependent carrier after the breakup of its joint venture with Russia's Volga-Dnepr at the end of 2016. "We hit the ground running ... It's been quite dynamic for us over the past 12 months," said Paul Bingley, commercial manager at the carrier's UK base at London Stansted airport. The fourth quarter of 2017 was "very busy," with "flat out" utiliza- tion in December, he said. A booming global air cargo market has helped. Global air freight volume in 2017 jumped 9 percent, triple the increase in capacity, according to the International Air Transport Association. Demand for heavy-lift shipments has risen with recovering oil prices and a resur- gence in mining that has generated project shipments to remote regions where air freight has an advantage over land and sea shipments. Heavy-lift air cargo services also include outsize cargoes for the oil and gas, energy, aerospace, agri- culture, telecommunications, and other industries. Antonov Airlines operates seven AN-124-100 freighters boasting capacities of 150 metric tons each. The only other operators of these aircraft, manufactured by Antonov's Kiev-based parent, are its former partner Volga-Dnepr with a dozen AN-124-100s and Abu Dhabi-based Antonov thrives aer breakup Ukraine's heavy-lift cargo airline adjusts to life after split with Volga-Dnepr By Bruce Barnard The rubber-tire gantry cranes were delivered on a United Heavyli vessel. Wilhelmsen Ships Services