Superyacht offloading going wrong

That flip looked very professionally done, no excitement is very much the goal! On a much smaller scale here's a flip of a 41 hull speeded up, Same method (and crane) we use for the 60'+ hulls. Hope it's ok to post a youtube link, couldn't figure out how to imbed it!



Edit; Wow Carl, it did it automatically, your new software is awesome!

The video doesn't play.

SFS, this video will only run on the genuine YouTube website. Just click on the YouTube simbol.

Having talked much about sling loading with or without cradle, for me, loading a (larger) yacht on a float on / float of ship is stil the safest and most elegant method. But also the most expensive (for the boater) and the least profitable (for the ships operator).

The probably best known float on / float off yacht transport ship is MV Yacht Express. This semi submersible specialized yacht transport ship has a very good record of having transported larger numbers of yachts of differnet sizes oll over the world with the least amount of damage to those boats.



But the bigggest problem this ship had, when stil owned by Dockwise, it had some much more profitable sisters in the dockwise fleet. Yacht Express is a so called single purpose ship. Means, it can in all honesty only be used for transporting yachts and similar sized boats. Her sisters like Mighty Servant or Blue Marlin could also transport large outsized and heavy cargo of all kinds like oil rigs, or complete production facilities. And this during the whole year, whereas the yacht transport business has some very destintive off peak times during the year. Will say, Dockwise made much more profit in working for the oil and offshore industry and therefore sold their yacht transport business and their special ships like yacht Express to Sevenstars.

Being also in this business, we tought, Yacht Express would have some more big disadvantages for us due to its type of construction. Yacht Express is basically only a self propelled semi submersible flat top barge. Her side bulwarks and her stern ramp do not make her a true dock ship. They are only semi closed or better partially open. This setup will ease (make it easier and safer) the submerging and ascending process, because the water will float off the cargo deck much faster more equally but due to the quasi open cargo deck, Yacht Express can only trade with the cargo deck at a safe height above the water and with a closed stern ramp. And she is limited in sea state because of that. That is also one reason for her limited deadweight capacity in relation to her rather big size. I know, she has done other type of cargo but no real heavy stuff and it takes to much time to convert her for other purposes. A great ship which makes profit, if you get her used enough.



We wanted a more flexible type of float on / float off ship. Not for transporting oil rigs and a complete nuclear aircraft carrier, that is not our market segment. This type of business is already allocated to a very small number of some really big players.

We were looking for a type of ship which was much more flexible, a bit smaller in size and could transport almost anything (beside crude oil ), without much prior preparation and reconfiguration and with a deadweight capacity according to its volume and size. And by almost anything, I mean from grain to any type of dry cargo, container, heavy outsized cargo, ships, yachts, submarines, just name it. And all of this not at the same time but mixed together.

The semi submersible dock ship with an variable, vertically and horizontially dividable cargo space which on top, can be covered with metal segments, which would make a heavy load cargo deck of its own. Plus some of the ships are equipped with heavy lifting gear on the bulwark. This type of ships are real money maker.



Transporting a mega yacht.



Transporting heavy cargo, which drives on by itself.



And it can carry boxes. It can trade with open stern ramp and with the cargo deck below the waterline or even with dry cargo in the front of the cargo hold and float in cargo in rear of the cargo hold. The versions with lifting gear can be used as an off station dry dock and repair facility. Best idea we (we and our competitors ) ever had. Means, whenever there is empty space left and it fits to our route and schedule, we will take yachts but only then.

Just my 2 (Euro) cents

But the craziest cargo ever seen on a dock ship was a Zeppelin, an Airship. A cargo of huge volume with ZERO weight .



This was a transport of a Zeppelin from Hamburg to Japan, because the airship could not be "flown" to Japan due to denial of overflight by Russia and China. Transporting by ship was cheeper than dismantling the complete vehicle. The containers on the bulwark were empty and were only for wind protection as the airship was actually flying on its mast in the cargo hold.

"Give men a task, if it can be done, it will be done".

HTM09, was there any article done about transporting the airship? That would seem to make a good novelty article somewhere. Do you have more pictures?

Actually this was done several times. The transport I was refering to, started on the Elbe River in Hamburg. See below.



There was one more transport, which started in Amsterdam for an Airspip leased to De Beers for diamond explorations in South Africa. This transport was done by Dockwise. See below



And one more I know off, which started in Italy and went to Asia. It is just a work around procedere, when overflight is denied. Bloody expensive and time consuming but still much cheaper than dismantling and reassembling one of those air vehicles. A Zeppelin is a pretty complicated vehicle below the skin in comparison to a blimb. See below.

It is very late and I am dead tired after my trip... but had to post!

WOW... thats is something!

The whole airship science is kind of strange. By definition, an airship is not flying because its lighter than air (that's why it is flying ). But a Zeppelin sometimes flies being havier than air, then it is using the aerodynamic lift of its body. Not my world.

Even having a cockpit, their pilots are called Captains, because it is an airship.



But for me it flies, havier than air or not. But for flying I need a pair of wings, even if they rotate around.



And luckily, I have derailed another subject . That's life. And rcrapps, they were charged for the complete ship and with no discount for the lighter (cargo)ship.

Nobody saw this? Holy cow! I certainly enjoy everyone's technical expertise here but not one mention about the person who appears to be under the yacht??? Start at the beginning, he is in a dark jacket. Just before the straps break, he is just aft of the starboard stabilizer and it appears he bends down to go under the yacht to the port side. There is NO sign of him after it drops. If I read the thread & I might have missed it but I don't think anyone mentioned anything