APM Terminals Pecém has completed the world’s largest non-containerised cargo operation with the shipment of three wind blades of 72.5m each.
In partnership with Maersk Brazil, on 25 March and 1 April 2021 the cargo was loaded and destined for the state of Santa Catarina.
In conducting the operation, a ship-to-shore (STS) crane provided by APM Terminals Pecém was first used to ship flat rack containers to serve as a base for the support and movement frames on which the blades would be docked.
Two mobile harbour (MH) cranes were used to hoist the blades, which weigh approximately 21 tonness each.
The shipments took place on the vessels Bartolomeu Dias and Vincente Pinzon from Aliança Navegação e Logística, which operates one of the cabotage lines that pass through the port.
APM Terminals Pecém Head of Commercial, André Magalhães, said six bays were used for each of the wind blades, totalling twelve bays and four flat rack containers.
Magalhães added, “For the transfer to the ship, we used two MHCs, which loaded two blades in an incredible time of 55 minutes. Due to the size of the blades and the type of ship used, we are probably facing a new world record.”
Operations were performed in areas 9 and 10 of the Multi-Utility Terminal (TMUT) of the Port of Pecém.
