Custom-made equipment to transport catamaran across the globe

Recently, Höegh Autoliners was chosen to provide the ocean transportation of a 7.12 metre wide catamaran that needed to be shipped from Antwerp to Brisbane.

The width of the catamaran was a challenge as it could not be placed on a single 40 foot rolltrailer which has a total width of 2.60 metres.

Höegh had been working on a prototype of its double mafi concept that had been developed, tested and approved in the U.S. and there was an opportunity to use the equipment in a commercial operation.

Geir Paulsen, Global Breakbulk Operation Manager says, “We came up with a unique design involving two 40-foot rolltrailers joined together by a coupling kit system. The system comprises of an easy-to-use system, which locks two 40 foot rolltrailers side by side. A twin gooseneck was also developed and produced on a Höegh design, and this ensures the tugmaster has a firm hold of the rolltrailer at all times during transport.”

In this case, the catamaran also required a vessel with a wider door clearance than the regular vessels, which can only accommodate cargo up to seven metres wide.

Franck Desgre, Segment Sales Manager of Höegh Autoliners France says,

Our New Horizon vessels provide incredible flexibility in the different types of cargo we can load and we are now able to transport cargo with a maximum width of 12 metres. Höegh Trotter, in our regular Europe to Oceania service, was chosen and proved the perfect fit to transport the unit.

With the support of stevedores at the port, and Höegh’s cargo handling team on-site in Antwerp, the catamaran was lifted out of the water and placed on the double rolltrailer where it was loaded on board the vessel ready for its ocean transport. Safely stowed under deck it was ready for its six-week journey to Brisbane.

Franck continues,

This operation was the perfect opportunity to show case our latest innovative equipment and prove that we have the capabilities in the breakbulk segment to handle wider cargo than before.