The first two of these measured 30m by 11m but the third, delivered earlier this year, represents a real step up for Williams Shipping as it is the biggest barge the company has ever operated.

The Wilcarry 1500 measures 50m by 14m with an unloaded draught of 0.47m dropping to 2.69m when loaded to its capacity of 1,280 tonnes. Classed by Bureau Veritas as I HULL Pontoon - no propulsion with unrestricted navigation and international loadline certificate, Wilcarry 1500 will see primary duty as a transport pontoon and crane platform. Two spud legs of 25 mm wall thickness are available in lengths of 12.5, 15 and 20m and there are also the options of a hydraulic lifting system, winches and anchors.

Wilcarry 1500 was towed across the water from Holland by that country's Van Der Wees Transporten, which deployed its tug Broeder Trouw 16 for the job. It was soon deployed to Portland UK, where Plymouth based Seastructures Ltd is nearing completion of a project for Portland Bunkering International, which has a lease on British Ministry of Defence storage bunkers. A three island configuration refuelling jetty is being built 30m off Portland's inner breakwater which will have the capacity to service vessels of up to 35,000 tonnes.

Seastructures started the project in October, using their own barge to drive 20 piles, each 30m long and drive anchors into bedrock. The Wilcarry 1500 has been used to install 30m long bracing struts and an access bridge measuring 28m long by 10m wide which connects the main jetty head to shore and carries the pipework in addition to pedestrians and vehicles.

A 110 tonne crawler crane placed on board Wilcarry 1500's broad deck has made nine lifts of between 22 and 32 tonnes, with the pontoon stabilised by its spuds.

Seastructures chose Wilcarry 1500 for the project because of its width. It's 14m beam allowed it to access a working area only 17m wide. "The width has been ideal, said Seastructures' project manager Simon Wilkinson.

"It's quite unusual to find a pontoon this narrow."

Wilcarry 1500 proved so effective in Portland that Seastructures extended the charter for the fitting of fenders to the jetty. This meant the pontoon was not available for another scheduled project transporting the returning Americas Cup racing yachts of the GBR Challenge Team from Tilbury to their base on the Isle of Wight.

Three racing yachts, masts, support craft and ancillary equipment arrived from New Zealand on the decks of two container ships at the Port Of Tibury. The Wilcarry 1500 would have transported the entire package on one voyage, but the extension of its duties in Portland meant Williams Shipping had to think again. The first two 27m yachts were transported by road to Southampton where they were stored briefly at Williams Shippings' deepwater quayside facility before being loaded individually over two days onto the company's recently acquired barge Malaya and towed to Cowes by their 15.7m Damen Stantug Wilchallenge. The Malaya was used because it is only 6.2m wide and access to the GBR Challenge yard is tight.

The third yacht, the exceedingly long masts, a support boat and chase boat were loaded onto Williams Shipping's 28m LOA transport and crane pontoon Wilcarry 432 (load capacity inland waters, 432 tonnes) at Tilbury and towed around the coast to Southampton by Spithead Trading's tug Goliath.

Williams often hire bigger tugs for coastal towing, using the services of Spithead, West Coast, and Holyhead. However, following a weekend moored at Williams Shipping's Marine Base, it was their own tug Wiljay, a 12.65m Damen Pushycat, which towed Wilcarry 432 to Cowes. Wilcarry 432's 12.52m beam prevented it from entering the GBR Challenge Team yard so it was towed to the yard of Cowes boatbuilder Souter Marine where a Souter crane transferred the yacht and masts to the smaller Malaya for the final leg of the long journey home. The GBR Challenge support and chase boats were unloaded at Souter and returned to base under power.

Meanwhile, Wilcarry 1500 will finish her work in Portland this month and will be retrieved for mobilisation to its next job working close to base in the Solent. However, Williams Shipping's view of their new barge as an international asset could see it occasionally joining other vessels from the company's fleet at work on the Continent.

MJ Information No: 18140