Spotted: Giant Pipe Racks on HHL Valparaiso

German shipping company Hansa Heavy Lift has transported five pipe racks and three modules for a new floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit off the coast of Brazil.

With the heaviest piece weighing 730 metric tons, the cargo was loaded onto the 2010-built vessel HHL Valparaiso at the ports of Itajaí and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil before being transported to Qingdao, in the Shandong Province of China, where it will undergo final outfitting before being transported back to Brazil. 

According to Joerg Roehl, Hansa Heavy Lift’s Chief Commercial Officer, the project required modifications to the vessel such as custom–built grillage for load spreading on deck to accommodate the heavy modules, the modification of lifting lugs and the installation of platforms for safe access. 

The company said it also faced additional challenges including draft and navigational restrictions at the river passage in Itajaí, tight stowage, and a long waiting time at all ports, which made general planning more difficult.

The pipe racks and modules belong to the FPSO unit P–67, which is being designed for the pre–salt clusters off the coast of Brazil.

Hansa Heavy Lift owns and operates a fleet of 19 multipurpose heavy lift vessels.