Jumbo Transports Two Minehunters for French Navy

At the beginning of 2015 MV Jumbo Jubilee transported two 600t minehunters from Brest, France to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In June 2015 MV Jumbo Jubilee returned both vessels to their Naval Base in France. The minehunters took part in a joint naval exercise between the French and UAE navy in the Arabian Gulf. Marfret’s special projects department SMIS contracted Jumbo to transport this delicate and valuable property of the French Navy.

Delicate cargo
The two minehunters have a glass/resin composite hull which makes them delicate to lift and transport. In order to protect the integrity of the hull Jumbo engineered cradles which enabled lifting and were and also served as sea fastening device. Because of the delicacy of the cargo positioning was critical wherefore Jumbo contracted divers to ensure the proper placement of the cradles under the hull. A video made by marine national shows lifting operations.

Cooperation
It is the people working for Jumbo who make the difference. Cargo only gains value once it can be put into use at the right moment, at the right destination. Jumbo’s project manager Boudewijn van der Garden states: “Working together with SMIS has been great. The challenges that occurred during preparation were solved together and enabled a smooth execution of the project. Loading navy ships on to a heavy lift vessel and dealing with a national defense entity made the project different and interesting to do. I am looking forward to future similar projects.”

Similar project
This return transport is a similar to a project that Jumbo performed in 2013 for SMIS.