Situation
Yap Island – also known as the Island of Stone Money – is one of the many tiny islands that make up The Federated States of Micronesia. Due to its remoteness, Yap is highly dependent on imported diesel fuel for power generation. – Why the island sought alternative energy sources, and ordered 2 new windmills to be delivered in September 2016.
Vergnet, a French provider of global renewable energy solutions depended on Global Liner Agencies for the shipment of the 15m turbine blades to the Pacific island.
Challenges
Micronesia is a very remote destination which is not frequented by the major carriers. To make things more complicated, the 15m blades of the wind turbine exceeded the size of a 40 ft container, making this a breakbulk cargo.
How did we handle it
After production in France, the blades where crated and loaded onto flatracks in Le Havre, from where they were shipped by a major carrier to Hong Kong. To reduce local storage costs, we made sure the blades were picked up shortly after arrival by Mariana Express Lines, one of GLA’s principals who is specialized in niche routes in the Asia-Pacific region, for delivery to the port of Yap.
