Neptune Pacific gets heavy with Norfolk

NEPTUNE Pacific and its Norfolk Island customers have celebrated an “incredibly rewarding” import voyage that delivered oversized and heavy cargo aboard the carrier’s LCT Norfolk.

Due to the island's limited port infrastructure, cargo arriving by sea must be unloaded from the vessel and transferred to shore via lighter (barge) operations.  

Supported by a crane with a maximum lifting capacity of 18.5 tonnes, the Norfolk’s specialist voyage enabled the delivery of oversized and heavy cargo, including an elevated work platform (EWP) truck, firefighter training equipment, an excavator, two 20-foot ISO tanks, as well as the usual delivery of standard containers.

Months of planning and coordination, combined with favourable weather conditions, enabled the vessel, lighterage and stevedore crews to safely complete the complex unloading operation over one and a half days, earlier this month.

"It was incredibly rewarding to see it all come together so successfully," Caroline Erwin, Neptune Pacific agency manager for Norfolk Island, said. "The ability to deliver specialised resources that support essential services on the island, while completing the operation safely and efficiently, is a great outcome for everyone involved."

Norfolk Island Regional Council infrastructure and services manager Scott Hackney said the heavy-lift capability of Norfolk enabled the territory to receive critical equipment: “These assets are essential to the ongoing operation of our power and emergency services and will support the delivery of critical services to the community."

Neptune Pacific has serviced Norfolk Island for almost 30 years and said the heavy-lift voyage was “the most recent example of the company's ongoing commitment to providing reliable supply chain solutions and keeping the territory connected.

"We're proud of the strong, supportive relationships we've built with the community and our local partners," Ms Erwin said.

"While seafreight remains at the core of our service, we're excited by the growing interest in airfreight and the opportunity to expand our offering as a trusted freight forwarder located on Norfolk Island."

Neptune Pacific said the significance of the voyage and the scale of the cargo attracted considerable interest onshore, with residents gathering around Cascade Pier and nearby vantage points to watch the operation unfold.

“Now that the first heavy lift voyage has been completed successfully, Neptune Pacific is happy to review further opportunities to repeat the voyage in future,” Ms Erwin said.