Heavy lift capability provides competitive edge

In the face of strong competition, project carriers are bulking up the heavy-lift capability of their cranes. This is a growing trend, according to Susan Oatway, a senior analyst for multipurpose and breakbulk at Drewry Maritime Research. “The project cargo sector is a fiercely competitive market – especially in the renewables sector which is one of the higher paying cargoes – and the competition among vessel types is just as fierce,” she said. “The main competition has been from container lines that put the renewable kit on flat racks in space that would have held containers, or from roros and combo vessels.” She said to address this competition and to set themselves apart as the preferred option for the movement of these cargoes, more and more vessel owners in the multipurpose fleet sector were opting to replace older and smaller vessels with larger project carriers with extremely heavy lift crane capability. “In the wind industry, it is not just about how much the kit weighs, but also how big it is and so the manoeuvrability of the cranes lifting the cargo is just as important,” explained Oatway. “Having a ship that is sufficiently specialised to cope with the different kinds of cargoes is what many are aiming for. Many container lines have opted to compete in this sector. Even though it takes time to load these cargoes it is more lucrative, but as the container market improves we are going to see the differential between time and price narrow again.” She said container vessels aimed to be in and out of a port within 12 hours. This was significantly impacted when it was moving heavy breakbulk pieces that were time-intensive. “Vessel owners in the multipurpose sector are focusing on having specialised vessels available that can move these heavy pieces more efficiently.”