December 13 - Tuscor Lloyds, the UK-based heavy lift specialist freight forwarder and shipping agent, recently undertook the movement of a large cable reel on behalf of a large shipping agent in Scotland.

The 50 tonne piece was secured by specialist contractors backed up by an independent marine surveyor as part of a series bound for New Orleans, Louisiana.

With delays in port, the planned loading was difficult in terms of timing. Two flat rack containers were first positioned onboard the ship. The reel was lifted directly onto the flat racks and secured onboard. The weight and shape of the reel meant that stowage had to be along the centre line of the ship.

The movement was in response to large offshore construction projects that are coming onstream across the entire Gulf of Mexico region.

The state of Louisiana has been one of the main beneficiaries of private and public funding in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina in 2005. The US government has implemented redevelopment programmes in the region and relaxed drilling license regulations.