Happy Buccaneer, simply the best
Over the nearly 40 years that Happy Buccaneer has been traversing the worlds’ oceans, she has encountered and overcome many challenges in the way of cargoes and destinations. You could say; she has seen it all. There is more in store for her in the next years, as she will be plying her trade for some time yet.
since 1984
Happy Buccaneer was delivered in 1984 with the first Huisman Heavy Lift Mast Cranes ever, with, at that time the heaviest lifting capacity of 550 mt per crane, adding up to 1,100 mt in tandem lift.
1,400 mt
Over the years, lifting capacities grew in the heavy lift shipping world and 22 years later, in 2006, her cranes were upgraded to 700 mt, 1,400 mt in tandem, which even today has its place in the higher end of heavy lift shipping.
282 voyages
Presently, Happy Buccaneer, sailing in her 39th year, is running her 282nd voyage, which is quite a tally when considering that she is working in tramp-shipping, i.e. no fixed routes, nor fixed cargoes, but instead all made-to-measure voyages, often including loading the cargo herself, sailing to remote destinations and performing the installation work on arrival.
Goliath 500 cranes
Take for instance the delivery of so-called Goliath 500 cranes. Last year, BigLift was contracted to ship three such cranes and deployed Happy Sky and Happy Buccaneer for the job to move 36,000 cbm, or 3,700 mt, of steel shapes, comprising full ship loads on each occasion. The largest pieces were the hinged legs of 64*3,30*4,70 metres, whereas the heaviest parts were the main girders at 320 mt, measuring 32.50*8.7*13 metres. Happy Buccaneer took care of the first of the three consecutive shipments from Mokpo, KR. In order to reach the loading berth, the vessels must pass under the Mokpo Bridge. Since Happy Buccaneer’s airdraft is a fraction too high, she had to wait for low tide to pass the bridge. Otherwise, there was no excitement to report for this voyage and the grand old lady completed her voyage with ease, Happy Sky took over for the other two shipments. Back in 2008, Happy Buccaneer had shipped a similar type of crane from Jiang Yin, CN for a shipyard in Subic Bay. Apart from the colour, it seems a Goliath 500 crane is still the same enormous mass of steel.
Happy Buccaneer carrying a Goliath 500 crane in 2022
Happy Buccaneer carrying a Goliath 500 crane in 2008
Happy Buccaneer with flyjib 2022
Super Fly jib
Another trip down memory lane is the installation of the Super fly jib. This extension of Happy Buccaneer’s crane 1 was designed some 10 years ago to facilitate an extensive reach to place a number of modules that could otherwise not be positioned in their designated place in the construction. Just recently, the flyjib was re-installed on Happy Buccaneer to increase lifting height for a job in Congo. The vessels was used to position the first end riser of reels with flexible product inside the VLS tower of the construction vessel Deep Orient, for which a lifting height of almost 45 meters relative to Happy Buccaneer’s deck level was required. In addition, while still in position, Happy Buccaneer was requested to assist as a large outreach was required when a 269 mt, 16.2*16.2*10.65 metres buoy had to be lifted from the water and placed on the inland side of the quay, since the waterfront was not designed to carry that kind of weight. The flyjib is a construction that is mounted on the top of the existing ship’s crane, a lattice boom construction which gives 18 metres extra outreach, while still being able to lift heavy loads up to 350 mt. The construction was designed so that it can also be mounted on either of the other HLVs, Happy Star or Happy Sky, with only a few minor adaptions.