German shipping company Hansa Heavy Lift has transported 13 modules measuring over 147,124 cbm from China to Australia, to help with the redevelopment of the Nyrstar Smelter in Port Pirie.

The cargo was loaded on four separate voyages at the Yanda Module Yard in Jiangsu, China, with the largest piece weighing 690 metric tonnes, and measuring 28 metres in length, 17 metres in width, and 26.7 metres in height.

“This was a particularly challenging project which required the use of three of our vessels on four separate trips operating at their full capacity, including HHL New York, HHL Lagos, and HHL Valparaiso,” Henry Woo, Head of AsiaPacific (APAC), Hansa Heavy Lift, said.

“Lifting and rigging were particularly challenging for this project due to the height of the modules combined with the offset centre of gravity, with up to five lifting beams required for a single lift,”Woo added.

The decks of each vessel were extended to the aft and in some cases even to the starboard side to accommodate up to five modules per trip. The over dimensional cargo required the installation of additional bow radars and the extra crew to double up bridge watches.

Modules had to be placed onto the self-propelled modular transporter with minimum clearance in between each vessel’s hull and the fixed structures on the wharf to overcome the limited space on the jetty in Port Pirie.

“We are proud to have completed the project with a smooth execution at every stage, resulting in a safe and on-time delivery of all modules,” Jens Grever, Head of Cargo Management, Asia, Hansa Heavy Lift, said.

The Port Pirie Redevelopment Project will convert the smelting facility operated by Nyrstar to a multi metals processing and recovery facility.