May 2020 saw the departure of Workington's two Nelcon Cranes to begin a new life on Teeside.
The cranes had been a feature of the town's skyline for 30 years. This was a complex operation using the uniquely designed barge TERRA MARIQUE to transport them intact as deck cargo.
Weighing 198ton each, the cranes had been delivered from Rotterdam by barge in April 1990.
Operating on tracks, and with a lifting capacity of 12tons, they were ideal for serving the once flourishing steel industry Despite being refurbished in 2009 at a cost of £0,9million, a change of cargo type and the introduction of more flexible mobile cranes meant the Nelcons had become redundant
The graceful action of the Nelcons had been a feature of day-to-day operations at the dockside.
The cranes were used for the final time in November 2017 to unload a cargo of gypsum brought from Spain by NBP VOYAGER . Three years earlier, in February 2014, Danny Ferris took the opportunity to video them unloading Irish peat moss from PS STAR.
Arrival of "TERRA MARIQUE", 7th May
The well-advertised crane removal was heralded by the arrival of the specialist bargefrom Portland under tow by MTS INDUS.
The vessel made a cautious approach to the port in calm conditions on the midday tide.
The barge was photographed passing the breakwater at the south pier accompanied by pilot tug DERWENT.
Once in the harbour basin, the towing chains were disconnected allowing the barge to enter dock under its own power.
Loading the Nelcons onto "TERRA MARIQUE"
The 44m TERRA MARIQUE is a river barge which has been converted to transport abnormal loads.
It is designed to handle roll on/roll off cargos at a range of quay heights using its unique hydraulic roadway and ballast system. The full specification is available on the site of operator 'Robert Wynn'.
SARENS Self Propelled Modular Trailers (SPMT) were used to lift the Nelcons off their tracks and manoeuvre them onboard. The SPMTs enabled the cranes to be loaded without having to dismantle them. Once mobile, each crane was rolled onto the barge's deck roadway via a ramp at the stern. The course of this ingenious engineering solution was photographed by Ian Cormack.
Departure of "TERRA MARIQUE", 11th May
Departure of the barge loaded with the two Nelcon cranes attracted a big crowd of onlookers.
The barge exited the dock into the harbour basin where towing lines were attached to the tug MTS INDUS. Twenty minutes later she was on her way to Teeside. The gallery below shows her passing the south pier into the Solway. In the final photo, DERWENT returns to base with crew members not required on the sailing.
The whole operation from 7th to 11th May was captured in time-lapse format by local company 'Adamedia'.