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In May 2007, Keihin loaded a submersible platform with shipments for the first time in its history (*1), which includes the handling of heavy-lift and oversized cargoes many times. The loading activity is described below.
This project was carried out for the construction of a terminal for exporting titanium ores from Madagascar, and the shipments were seven vessels to be used in the construction work - a dredging boat, three platform vessels with rampways, and three small workboats.
As the dredging boat and the platform vessels were both heavy-lift and oversized items, with the former measuring 62 meters in length and 3,200 tons in weight, and the latter, 54 meters and 700 tons, we arranged a non-self-propulsion submersible platform vessel, Giant 3, which is very rare in number outside Japan as well, and a 7,200-horsepower large tugboat, SalvageGiant, and loaded them with the abovementioned seven cargoes.
We had loaded other shipments, such as construction vehicles, steel products and other equipment and materials, onboard the workboats by the time when Giant 3 and SalvageGiant arrived at the Port of Kobe.
(*1) This is a special cargo loading system.
A platform vessel submerges as it takes seawater in its ballast water tank (the vessel’s deck goes below the sea surface). When shipments to be transported are carried above the deck, the platform vessel ascends by removing the seawaters from its ballast tank to load the shipments onboard its deck.
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