Breakbulk.com
Transport firm Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Abnormal Load Services, or WWL ALS, and its project partner, have delivered a desalination barge from Casablanca to Dakhla in the Western Sahara.
The journey was coordinated by the WWL ALS seafreight team in Moerdijk in the Netherlands and local transport firm Transports Marocains. The cargo weighed 282 tons and measured 30 meters long, 11.5 meters wide and 5.5 meters high.
The teams were able to reduce the load by 28 tons thanks to the removal of four 7-ton filters. Once they had been removed the barge was then lifted on board a carrying vessel using two-150 ton cranes.
WWL ALS operated under a tight deadline to deliver the barge the 1,600 kilometer distance in order to alleviate drought conditions for the local population in Dakhla, who were without fresh drinking water. The desalination barge provides a self-sufficient water making platform for remote communities.
Upon arrival at the draft restricted port of Dakhla, the shipping team faced further issues due to strong swell which delayed the unloading process and required the project team to arrange an alternative discharging location.
WWL ALS is an international freight logistics operator with offices in UAE, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Holland, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the UK.
Photo: WWL ALS moved the barge from Casablanca to Dakhla in the Western Sahara
