Each shipunloader weighs 350tonne and has a Centre of Gravity 17metres above deck level. Both were loaded using the ship's 2 x 250tonne cranes in tandem, then secured for ocean transit through the Bay of Biscay and the North Sea.

Dismantled rigs are a regular cargo for SPS, and often involve unusual crosstrade routes. We have fixed rigs from Indonesia to Argentina, from New Zealand to Libya and from Venezuela to Dubai.

Night work is not always possible, but when it is permitted the advantage of time saved can mean an uninterrupted transfer of cargo from factory to discharge port. This 55m long / 215 metric tonne cold box was loaded at Shanghai from a barge at 2:00 am in the morning.

Heavy cable reels, nearly 10metres high, are shipped on deck but their small footprint exceeds the average deck strength rating.

Long columns are not often as heavy as cable reels but are difficult to manoeuvre between the cranes in order to bring them to their final stowage position, the unit pictured was more than 40meters in length.

Large boats present an even more complex version of the same problem!

Some cargoes are just too big to be lifted – but can still be transported. 5 derrick barges each about 50m long x 25m wide and about 1500mts were fixed by SPS on the Dockwise semi-submersible vessel mv ‘Treasure’. Here we see them at the loading location off Hong Kong as the vessel is emerging from its submerged condition.

Heavy-Lift vessels can be used as floating cranes, where no port facilities or floating are cranes available. The vessel pictured is loading subsea cables to a specialized cable layer in Nigeria.