Some of the largest wind energy cargo in the Maritimes has been sailing by the rural seaside landscape of Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia. Blades as long as four school buses, towers that weigh nearly twice as much as a humpback whale, and even a wind-powered overseas cargo vessel have come to call.
“The Port of Sheet Harbour is becoming a leading destination for large, out-of-gauge project cargo, especially in the renewable energy sector,” says Shawn McMahon, General Sales Manager at Logistec. “The facility is only about 110 kilometres from Halifax, and features a 152-metre wharf for vessels up to 214 metres (draft permitting). Our clients also appreciate the convenient highway access and MARSEC secured, 12-acre laydown area directly adjacent to the wharf.”
As part of its cargo handling services, Logistec lifts wind project cargo off the ship, including blades, towers, turbines, nacelles, and hubs. The company then lands the pieces onto specialized trailers or directly to the terminal, all the while ensuring that the cargo remains in impeccable condition. Skilled supervisors, experienced employees, solid safety procedures, and the right equipment are vital to this process, since wind energy equipment is made of carbon fibre – and therefore notoriously fragile.
“Moving wind blades is like moving the wings of a plane,” says Anthony Steele, Operations Manager at Logistec. “All components are prone to damage from being bumped or coming into contact with other pieces of cargo. Their massive size and weight often requires specialized rigging that must be correctly installed. Laydown also has to be organized to ensure that shore-based equipment and flatbed trucks can access the cargo in the required sequence for on-time delivery to the project site.”
Stowing wind cargo on the terminal means securing it carefully, especially when the weather doesn’t cooperate. “Shipments are booked many months in advance, so we couldn’t plan for Hurricane Arthur. Fortunately, we have a lot of experience and were able to quickly adapt,” Mr. Steele adds. “The blades in particular are very aerodynamic, so we used a combination of bridge fittings and lashings to secure all the blades together, and the blade frames were lashed to concrete Jersey barriers to keep everything immobilized on the ground.”
Since the Halifax Port Authority began managing the terminal in 2012, Logistec has provided cargo handling and stevedoring services for heavy lifts, containers, bulk, and break-bulk merchandise, as well as actively marketing Sheet Harbour and building a steady customer base. “The type of cargo that can be moved through the Port of Sheet Harbour is very diverse,” says Patrick Bohan, Director, Supply Chain Solutions for the Halifax Port Authority. “With $122-billion in planned mega projects for Atlantic Canada combined with the investments being made into improving the Port of Sheet Harbour’s infrastructure, we see a positive outlook and we are certainly seeing evidence of that during the summer of 2014.
“We share the Halifax Port Authority’s commitment to bringing new business to Sheet Harbour, and to facilitating the economic development that ‘mega projects’ provide for Atlantic Canada,” says Madeleine Paquin, President and CEO of Logistec. “In addition to finished components, we handle raw materials for regionally-based manufacturers, and coordinate inland services, such as trucking, with our local partners.”
“We employ local labour and have worked with the Sheet Harbour & Area Chamber of Commerce to create opportunities for the industrial park adjacent to the port,” Ms. Paquin adds. “Becoming a meaningful partner for the community is how we do business.”