STAFFORDSHIRE-BASED SPECIALIST SHIPPING COMPANY, ROBERT WYNN AND SONS LTD., HAVE BECOME THE FIRST SHIPPING COMPANY TO DELIVER CARGO VIA THE RIVER FORTH TO ALLOA IN OVER 60 YEARS.
Their unique heavy lift ro/ro barge Terra Marique has become the first commercial vessel to transit the river Forth through the iconic Kincardine and Clackmannanshire bridges on route to Alloa,
In an operation that has been 10 months in the planning the 80m x 16.5m barge, specifically designed to operate on inland waterways and offload without the need for significant onsite infrastructure, has successfully carried out 5 consecutive transits of the Forth, loading at Forth Ports Rosyth to the offloading site on the outskirts of Alloa.
9 pieces were carried in total, with a combined weight of 941te, with the largest piece being 56m in length, 6m in diameter and weighing 187te. All cargo was loaded onto specialist transport provider Mammoet SPMT’s and rolled off in an offloading operation that took less than 90 minutes to complete. Timings on this project were critical as navigation through the bridges was planned to the minute due to the tidal variations on the Forth and in particular, the two bridges.
Working for Kestral Liner Agencies, Robert Wynn and Son’s engineers and crew were part of a bespoke team assembled for their expertise on the Forth.
Des Nott, Head of Break Bulk and Projects at Kestrel Liner Agencies commented: “We worked with Robert Wynn and Sons for some ten months preparing to deliver nine very large items, too big to be carried on UK roads. Among the many challenges was that the river had seen no commercial traffic for some sixty years.”
“After an exhaustive study, we were able to agree a workable solution and made five successful trips on the Forth River, to deliver the items directly into site. It was truly a pleasure to work with such an accomplished and professional team. The command and crew of the Terra Marique were also exceptional and gave a good demonstration of complex logistics looking easy.”
