A Staffordshire-based heavy lift shipping specialist has become the first company to deliver cargo via the River Forth to the Scottish town of Alloa in more than 60 years.
In an operation that took more than 10 months to plan, Robert Wynn and Sons’ unique heavy lift barge Terra Marique made the pioneering journey.
In doing so it set a record by becoming the first commercial vessel to transit the River Forth through the iconic Kincardine and Clackmannanshire bridges on route to Alloa.
In five consecutive transits, the 80-metre barge, which is specifically designed to operate on inland waterways, carried 941 tonnes of cargo.
The items being moved – one 56 metres in length, 6 metres in diameter and weighing 187 tonnes – were too big to be transported on UK roads.
The operation, which was carried out for Kestral Liner Agencies involved engineers and crew from Eccleshall-based Robert Wynn and Sons working as part of a bespoke team assembled for their expertise on the Forth.
Timings on each journey between Forth Ports Rosyth and the offloading site on the outskirts of Alloa were critical due to tidal variations on the river and, in particular, around the two bridges.
Robert Wynn & Sons General Manager Andy Manners coordinated the operation. He said: “While the Terra Marique is purpose built for such operations, there are a number of factors unique to this project that meant that detailed planning and collective working was required to successfully carry out such a complex operation.
“Our engineers, crew and those from Kestral, Forth Logistics, Class 1 Maritime, GSS and Coastworks all worked tirelessly together to ensure this project was delivered as planned.”
Des Nott, Head of Break Bulk and Projects at Kestrel Liner Agencies, said: “We worked with Robert Wynn and Sons for some 10 months preparing to deliver nine very large items – too big to be carried on UK roads.
“Among the many challenges was that the river had seen no commercial traffic for some sixty years.
“After an exhaustive study, we were able to agree a workable solution and made five successful trips on the Forth River, to deliver the items directly into site.
“It was truly a pleasure to work with such an accomplished and professional team. The command and crew of the Terra Marique were also exceptional and gave a good demonstration of complex logistics looking easy.”
