BigLift Shipping’s Happy Star attracted much attention on Sunday when it sailed into Rotterdam with ten tugboats onboard. The heavy lift vessel’s arrival in the Port of Rotterdam marked the end of a two-month preparation and execution process. 

According to Damen, such an operation takes some six months to plan and organise, but this one only had two months, which made the 156-metre-long Happy Star with its two heavy lift mast cranes of 1100 mt each, the perfect fit for the job.

The Happy Star departed Halong Bay, Vietnam, for Europe on the fourth of April and arrived 38 days later at Vigo, Spain, to unload one vessel before continuing to Rotterdam. The remaining 10 vessels have been now brought to Rotterdam.

According to Damen, these mass deliveries do not take place often as it is rare that so many vessels are ready to be despatched at the same time. The last such event occurred in 2015 when Happy Star transported 22 vessels of various types on the same route. However, this brings advantages versus delivering vessels on their own hulls. These include having the vessels and their equipment arrive in pristine condition. The marine environment also benefits from having fewer emissions with just one ship, albeit a larger one, doing all the work.

Our colleague, Tessa Heerschop was among the members of the media present to document the arrival of the Happy Star. Below is the view of the arrival through her own lens.

Happy Star will stay in Rotterdam until Wednesday after which it heads off to Spain for its next job.