Barging 4 million pounds of girders and equipment from Tacoma to Hawaii

Sixteen 84’ long concrete girders. Over 48 tons each. And our job was to get them from Tacoma to Hawaii. The highly specialized girders, which were manufactured by Concrete Technology in Tacoma, were specified by the Hawaii Department of Transportation for construction on the North/South Road project on Oahu. Timing was critical, so we took advantage of a recently commissioned Young Brothers 340’ x 90’ barge—the MAKA’ ALA—which was manufactured in Portland, Oregon.

Using tractors and specialized dollies, we positioned the gigantic girders pier side for loading by a Manson Construction derrick crane. The largest girders were strategically stowed along the port and starboard sides of the barge; 36 additional girder sections, each 41 feet in length and weighing over 30 tons, were craned into position in the center of the barge. Our onsite team worked closely with the marine surveyors to assist in the safest and most efficient stow plan and to ensure that each girder was lashed into position and adhered to the highly detailed tie-down requirements. Total weight of products and containers moved was over 4 million pounds.

Once the girders were securely lashed, Foss Maritime tugs repositioned the barge to Pier 7 in the Port of Tacoma to have SSA/Tacoma load containers of accessorial materials. The cargo in these containers had been picked up, consolidated, and loaded by AFF Logistics’ parent company, American Fast Freight, at its container freight station in Tacoma. A total of eight 20-foot containers were loaded, weighing in excess of 400,000 pounds. Finally, an ocean-going tug towed the barge to Barber’s Point Harbor in Oahu for transfer to the dock storage location completing the project.

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