Global Yacht Transport

540 tone decommissioned Minehunter transported from Belgium to Pakistan

Peters & May Commercial see some interesting projects, moving anything from wind turbines to ferries however one of the team’s latest challenges was in the transportation of a decommissioned 540 t Minehunter. Travelling from Belgium to Pakistan; with the added complication of the shipment being ex-military in nature, this project involved cooperation and strategic planning across the Peters & May network.

Of course, such a complex shipment comes with its own set of challenges requiring innovative solutions. With a journey over 7000 nautical miles ahead of it and some potentially rough seas to ride, the retired Minehunter required a bespoke lashing and cradling plan. Sparse lashing points available on the Minehunter meant that much of the responsibility for the safe securing of this cargo fell on Peters & May’s cradling system. Our in-house technical team, worked tirelessly to devise the best cradling system possible based upon the structure, age, unique hull shape and true weight of the cargo.

The challenges didn’t stop there with the 540 t weight of the Minehunter, careful lifting was required by Peters & May’s expert loadmasters and the SAL team on MV Calypso. Due to the age of the Minehunter and the duration in which it had stood in water; particular care was taken in securing lifting belts around the marine growth on the underside of the hull an additional complexity requiring flexible and on the spot thinking from our teams portside.

Stephanie Schillgalies, Manager of Chartering & Projects at SAL commented; “In every aspect it was a pleasure to cooperate with the expert team at Peters & May whilst working on this unique project. Both, the commercial and technical cooperation between Peters & May and SAL Engineering was close and well-organized by both parties. Clear and efficient communication is essential to handle projects of this kind, to guarantee a high level of service quality – requirements that have all been met by the Peters & May specialists; resulting in the safe and successful completion of the project”.

This project is a clear demonstration of Peters & May’s 12 offices and various business units working closely to fulfil client’s requirements. “The enquiry for this shipment originated in our German office” as explained by Robert Blades, Commercial Sales Manager of Peters & May. He continued to explain the complexities of this shipment; “not only were we transporting the decommissioned Minehunter but also three 40ft containers containing additional parts.

There was a lot of internal work involved with this by our freight forwarding business division managing the collection, containerising and loading of the containers alongside the retired Minehunter”. Peters & May strive to combine shipments where possible achieving lower transportation fees for our clients due to economies of scale. As a result, the decommissioned Minehunter was also shipped alongside a 25ft work catamaran requiring strategic stow plans and separate discharge points.

The routing of the MV Calypso was complex, negotiating issues around the Suez Canal and customs arrangements. Peters & May were able to work with the client and SAL as the vessel owner to calculate the best route possible based upon finances and timescales. Travelling from Belgium, through the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and UAE; the decommissioned Minehunter arrived safely in Pakistan with all the required customs paperwork.

It’s Peters & May’s expertise in complex shipments like these that underlie our world-renowned reputation as a leading bespoke logistics partner within the commercial industry.

If you are interested in working with Peters & May for your heavy lift cargo transport on an upcoming project contact our team or catch us at Seawork on Stand PG141 (3rd-5th July). Having exhibited at the show for the past 9 years, the Peters & May team are looking forwards to another successful year.

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