Happy Star for bp Cypre
BigLift Shipping recently concluded a complex transport operation for bp’s Cypre project, involving the movement of nearly 10,000 mt of subsea equipment from the UK to Trinidad and back. The project, which ran from June 2024 to February 2025, was notable for including the heaviest carousel ever carried by BigLift to date.
In Rotterdam, the Happy Star loaded two large carousels – each able to carry approximately 3,000 metric tonnes of flexible flowlines – together with a loading tower. Additional equipment, including eight reels with flowlines, risers, and jumpers, was taken on board in Newcastle upon Tyne. Then onto Blyth, where the flowlines were actually spooled onto the carousels before the vessel departed for Trinidad, sailing on maximum draught of 9.5 metres.
Discharge operations in the Chaguaramas area were carried out over three port calls, whereby Happy Star remained in the region for about two months. The vessel then returned to Europe, calling again at Blyth, Flushing, and Rotterdam to return the equipment that had been used for the project.
Tailored stability solution
Due to the height and weight of the deck cargo – which reached up to 14 metres above the deck’s surface – an addendum to the vessel’s standard stability book had to be made. The standard documentation covers a wide range of loading conditions, but the specific configuration for this project fell outside these parameters.
By narrowing the range of allowable variables in the stability condition – specifically requiring that certain bottom tanks remained fully filled at all times – the team was able to safely reduce the minimum GM (stability margin) by 20 cm. This adjustment, though modest, was essential to accommodate the two carousels on deck. The revised stability approach was reviewed and approved by Bureau Veritas and has since been integrated in the vessel’s onboard systems for future use.
A collaborative effort
The successful completion of this project reflects the close cooperation between BigLift’s engineering, operations and project teams and the vessel’s crew, and of course external partners. It is a strong example of how tailored solutions and teamwork come together to meet demanding transport requirements.