CASE STUDY: 3 fast ferries moved in one

Peters & May received an enquiry from Golden Cargo in January 2022 concerning the transport of three aluminium, light construction carbon fibre ferries from their builder, Brodrene AA in Hyen, Norway to their new operator, Hellenic Seaways in Piraeus, Greece.

The vessels are broad of course (36m x 9.7m), but relatively light at just 82 tonnes each.

As Paul Elsom, Peters & May’s Global technical director, explained, there was an additional challenge of getting all three ferries onto one vessel.

“At Peters & May we take both decarbonisation of all our operations and providing the best value to our clients very seriously,” he said. “With this in mind, instead of fulfilling this transport with more than one trip, we decided to look at using the state-of-the art Rolldock Sky heavy cargo vessel with one of the ferries stowed below deck level and the other two above.

“It would take a bit of maths to get all three aboard securely, particularly as they all had to be tandem lifted, but this is what we do and successfully moving the three ferries in just one trip would save both carbon from the atmosphere and costs for our client.”

Rolldock Sky, launched in 2016, is a highly configurable 142m vessel with three different loading modes – Float-In / Float-Out, Roll-On / Roll-Off and Lift-On / Lift-Off.

During Flo-Flo operations, the vessel can submerge to 12.5 metres, creating a draught in hold of 6.6 metres. With a draught of 5.67 metres, the vessel is suitable for shallow draught waters, and each deck crane can lift up to 350mt, or 700mt in tandem lifting.

Change needed in submersible function

Peters & May was unable to use Rolldock Sky’s submersible functionalities on this occasion, as the fjord depth at the loading location meant local regulations deemed this too risky in the unlikely event of a vessel systems fault and subsequent salvage operation.

The vessel’s tandem lift capability would be key to this operation though, not due to the overall weight of the ferries, but to follow the lifting conditions stipulated by the shipbuilder.

“Loading operations started on July 11 and took two days because one ferry was stowed underdeck while the other two were on deck,” said Elsom. “Using two cranes in a tandem lift configuration meant that the ferries had to be loaded in a fore and aft configuration.”

The loading operation was conducted in a fjord in northern Norway, which brought its own positives and negatives.

“The steep valley sides made it glass calm – so perfect lifting conditions,” said Elsom. “The marine traffic there was very light, so we had plenty of time to get things set up well, but there was no berth available, leaving us to conduct the lifts at anchor.

“Finding a suitable anchorage in the very deep water there was a bit of a challenge in itself. We used tugs to deliver the ferries alongside the ship and all loading, cradling and lashing equipment had to be supplied to the vessel at its last port of call – in Finland!”

Planning at both ends

Thanks to meticulous planning by Elsom and the Technical Team and loadmaster attendance at both POL and POD (Port of loading and Port of discharge), the operation went without a hitch at either end.

Peters & May would like to thank maritime logistics company Golden Cargo SA, based in Piraeus, Greece, who kept in close contact with the ferries’ owner (Hellenic Seaways/ Attica Group) in Greece, ensuring they could remain confident in this special project shipment through every step from booking to delivery.

Peters & May has worked with major commercial vessel owners and operators for more than a decade, shipping vessels and their equipment across the globe.