Ship-to-ship breakbulk cargo operations
Customer brief
Specialist maritime partners UBSL Caribbean Line and Sea-Cargo required a safe and efficient transfer route for two 85-tonne generators travelling from Sweden to Guyana.
Arriving at our South Harbour on board the Baltic Blue cargo vessel, the generators needed to be transferred to UBSL’s BOCS Vision, allowing the heavy breakbulk cargo to continue its onward journey towards South America.
Challenges
This was the first recorded vessel-to-vessel cargo transfer in Port of Aberdeen’s near 900-year history.
The operation required two tandem lifts using cranes on the BOCS Vision and stevedoring was provided by Sea-Cargo on both vessels. Unlike standard cargo movements, the operation required the generators to be transferred directly from one vessel to another, creating additional considerations around vessel positioning and safe access.
Port of Aberdeen’s solution
Port of Aberdeen's team worked closely with UBSL and Sea-Cargo to support the planning and execution of the ship-to-ship transfer. South Harbour provided the space, access and operational flexibility the project partners needed to carry out the operation safely and efficiently.
Why it matters
As a milestone operation for our team, this project strengthened Aberdeen as a strategic connection point for trade routes linking Europe with the Caribbean, Northern South America and the Gulf of Mexico.
The project also demonstrated Port of Aberdeen’s ability to accommodate complex breakbulk movements where scale, safety and coordination are critical.
