Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00She can lift the biggest, heaviest machinery ever built.
00:04The cargo is very expensive and sensitive.
00:06And then carry it anywhere in the world.
00:09Straighten away!
00:10On her very first job as a super-heavy lift ship...
00:13Beluga Bremen.
00:15..Beluga Bremen's crew will test-drive new technology...
00:18Number two crane, a little bit more hook down.
00:20..battle unpredictable weather...
00:22The actual mount is coming.
00:24..and face unknown challenges.
00:26Speed.
00:28We hope that the pier is not going to collapse.
00:30It's a 20,000km adventure from Asia to the Americas
00:35on the mightiest ship afloat.
00:45Beluga Bremen is one tough lady.
00:49Purpose-built at a cost of $75 million, she has just one job.
00:54To lift and carry.
00:56To lift and carry the world's heaviest cargo.
01:02Her two monster cranes are the strongest ever mounted
01:05on a multi-purpose heavy lift ship.
01:07And together, they can bench-press over 1,400 tonnes.
01:12That's a lot of muscle.
01:14And she's going to need all of it on her very first job
01:17that begins here in Kuantan, Malaysia.
01:20Head speed is 9.2.
01:23As Beluga Bremen navigates into the port,
01:25two giant mining machines called autoclaves
01:28are being delivered to the pier.
01:31These 800-tonne washing machines separate gold from rocks and mud.
01:36Beluga Bremen's job is to carry them halfway around the world.
01:43But first, she'll have to load them on board.
01:46It's the heaviest cargo the Beluga group has ever transported.
01:52Beluga Bremen is a newbie, but her master, Lutz Heldt,
01:56is a veteran captain.
02:01We have to load two autoclaves at this port.
02:05That will be the most heavy stuff we have lifted until now.
02:12And it will be a challenge for the crew and me.
02:17Captain Heldt is Beluga Bremen's first captain.
02:20Captain Heldt is Beluga Group's top gun,
02:23their test skipper for some of the strongest heavy-lift ships
02:26the world has ever seen.
02:27We are ready for weather in the aft, please.
02:30And on her maiden voyage,
02:31Captain Heldt wants to find out how tough Beluga Bremen really is.
02:35What I'm really curious of is the behaving of the vessel.
02:40It's really totally new for us.
02:46Bremen is the prototype for a whole new class of ships
02:49called super-heavy lifters.
02:51She has to perform well on this job.
02:53Seven more just like her are being built
02:56at a cost of over half a billion dollars.
03:01From Quantan, she will sail to Shanghai to pick up more heavy cargo.
03:06Then it's across the vast Pacific Ocean,
03:09through the Panama Canal,
03:10to a remote port in the Dominican Republic to unload.
03:16Three minutes ahead.
03:18It's a 20,000-kilometre journey.
03:20Five metres ahead, please.
03:22Halfway around the world.
03:27As soon as Beluga Bremen touches the pier,
03:30there's no time to waste.
03:33It's Captain Heldt's ship,
03:35but the job of loading the giant autoclaves
03:37belongs to his second-in-command,
03:40Chief Officer Jorn Gafkor.
03:42The challenge is we have to load these two autoclaves in one day.
03:47Time is money.
03:49Before he can start the lift,
03:51Jorn's first job is to install Bremen's unique stabiliser pontoon.
03:55It's an extra ballast tank designed for super-heavy lifting.
03:59As big as a bungalow, it weighs 115 tonnes.
04:03There are not so many vessels in the world
04:06with this kind of stabiliser.
04:08All heavy-lift ships use ballast systems
04:10to keep them from capsizing during a lift.
04:15At 168 metres long and 25 metres wide,
04:19Beluga Bremen has 48 ballast tanks inside her hull
04:23that automatically fill or empty water
04:25to keep the ship level as cargo is loaded.
04:29Installed on the outside of the hull,
04:31the stability pontoon is a massive,
04:35Installed on the outside of the hull,
04:37the stability pontoon gives the ship more counterweight
04:39to lift even heavier cargo.
04:43And they'll need it.
04:44The dangerous combination of the autoclave's size and weight
04:47could sink the ship.
04:50Without this pontoon, we cannot do the lift.
04:52The vessel will capsize and will fall down to the pier.
04:58A huge, 40-tonne steel arm connects the pontoon to the ship.
05:03A huge, 40-tonne steel arm connects the pontoon to the ship.
05:06Jorn directs the crane to fit it into the tiny slot
05:09at the centre of the pontoon.
05:13The water is a little bit chubby, the pontoon is moving.
05:17Water is Jorn's biggest worry.
05:20Heavy-lift cranes don't mix with rough seas.
05:23Heavy-lift cranes don't mix with rough seas.
05:25It's like working in a floating, rocking skyscraper.
05:29You have to come here, come here.
05:33And that's making it tough to line up the arm with the pontoon.
05:44When we fit in the arm to the ship,
05:46there's only clearance from one millimetre up,
05:48one millimetre down.
05:51It's like to fit in a thread in a needle.
05:55Threading a needle that weighs 40 tonnes is difficult, dangerous work.
06:00And it's the first time the pontoon has ever been used on a real job.
06:04It takes almost two hours.
06:08Thank you, sir. Thank you.
06:10But Jorn is happy that the pontoon is properly installed.
06:1440 tonnes the arm, 115 tonnes the tank. Looks good.
06:29Now everything is ready for the big lift to begin.
06:32And all eyes are on Jorn and his team.
06:37Stop. Stop.
06:41Jorn is one of Beluga Group's most experienced officers
06:45and was hand-picked for Bremen's first job.
06:50Captain Heldt is monitoring his performance too.
06:53If Jorn does well, he could be promoted to captain.
06:58I think Jorn is a bit nervous, but it's normal in this situation.
07:04There's a kind of pressure, yes.
07:06There's a lot of surveyors, people from different companies,
07:10from the shipper, from the cargo owner.
07:12Everybody is looking to me.
07:14But Jorn isn't alone.
07:16He's got project manager Roberto Frigini
07:19and cargo superintendent Edward Lockhoff on his team.
07:28They are not part of the ship's crew.
07:30They're lift specialists from head office in Germany.
07:3715 tonnes.
07:39Roberto and Edward have spent nearly a year
07:42planning this lift using computer simulations.
07:45Generally speaking, the responsibility of the lift
07:49is on the captain, the chief mate.
07:51They are the hands, we are the brain.
07:54I need one more deck hand here at the gangway.
07:58Computer simulations are one thing.
08:00Real heavy lifting is another.
08:03If the hook is not aligned where we're going to lift,
08:06the cargo is going to suddenly move.
08:08So we have to be very, very careful of the geometry of the lift.
08:12This is the most important aspect at the moment.
08:15Under a blistering Malaysian sun,
08:17Jorn and his team are ready to find out
08:20if their super-heavy lift ship is a contender,
08:23a champion or a washout.
08:26In the port of Kuantan, Malaysia,
08:28Beluga Bremen is ready to load
08:30two 800-tonne high-tech mining machines.
08:33It's her first-ever super-heavy lift,
08:36and everyone is nervous.
08:38The cargo is very expensive and sensitive.
08:41So if we damage it, the whole project for a gold mine will be stopped.
08:46OK, I'm ready.
08:48Bring the cargo.
08:50Bremen's two monster cranes are the strongest ever mounted
08:53on a multi-purpose heavy-lift ship,
08:55but they've never been tested on a real job.
08:58Swing left and boom down.
09:00Chief Officer Jorn Gafkor is in charge of lifting the autoclaves.
09:04They're three times the size of a bus and almost 60 times heavier.
09:09Hold the last piece of cargo.
09:11OK, I'm ready.
09:13OK, I'm ready.
09:15OK, I'm ready.
09:17It's 60 times heavier.
09:19It must be straight over the cargo, otherwise it starts moving.
09:24It's too heavy for any movement.
09:27Veteran crane operator Oleksandr Chofimov
09:30knows that any sudden movement could spell disaster.
09:34If I make this command very fast,
09:38the ship may crash.
09:43There's one last check of the crane hooks.
09:46People everywhere now watching and carefully listening from the radio
09:50what's going on.
09:52If they drop their 800-tonne cargo, dozens of lives are at risk.
09:59On the pier, Jorn bears all the responsibility,
10:03but he must stay in constant contact with his captain.
10:07The captain is on the bridge and controlling the ballast.
10:10Beluga Bridge, the list, please.
10:121.72 starboard.
10:14Eight floors up on the bridge,
10:16Captain Helt keeps a close watch on the ballast system
10:19as it reacts to the weight of the autoclave.
10:220.9 to port.
10:25OK, 0.9.
10:27OK, both cranes, stop a moment. We wait for ballast.
10:30Ballasting is a delicate and dangerous balancing act.
10:34As an autoclave is lifted on board,
10:37its enormous weight causes the ship to tilt or list.
10:4212,000 cubic metres of water in 48 ballast tanks
10:46shift automatically to counterbalance the list
10:49and keep the ship from capsizing.
10:52What's mine?
10:54Stability pontoon 3.6.
10:56Very good.
10:59No-one knows if the ship's ballast is enough to offset 800 tonnes,
11:04even with the extra help of the stabiliser pontoon.
11:09This is the moment of truth, we say,
11:11before the cargo lifts off from the crane.
11:16To lift and load the autoclaves,
11:18Bremen's two cranes must synchronise their moves perfectly.
11:21For the crane operators,
11:23it's like trying to hammer in two nails at exactly the same time,
11:27with exactly the same pressure.
11:30And now we're going to lift off right now.
11:39So, cargo is in the air now.
11:42Number two crane, a little bit more hook down.
11:44Trailer away!
11:46Trailer away!
11:48Almost immediately, there's a problem.
11:50You are too fast, Angry, much too fast.
11:52Number two crane, a little bit more hook down.
11:54Trailer away!
11:56Trailer away!
11:58Number two crane, hook down.
12:00The cranes are moving at a snail's pace, but it isn't slow enough.
12:04We don't keep it level, make a mistake, it slips. That's a disaster.
12:08Don't worry, sir.
12:10OK, very good.
12:14At the moment, we are swinging the cargo over the vessel.
12:18That means the lowest point of stability for the vessel.
12:24The full weight of the autoclave is now right over the ship.
12:28It's acting like a gigantic pendulum,
12:30with the slightest movement tilting the ship from side to side.
12:34It's a time of dangerous instability.
12:37OK, both to the level, OK?
12:40Number three, a little bit hook up.
12:42And the most critical point in the lift.
12:44OK, number three, stop for a moment.
12:47Third mate, with the buoy down, we are coming clear.
12:51It's less than a metre to touch down.
12:54With 800 tonnes hovering over his head,
12:57Edward makes sure that the cradles ready to hold it
13:00are lined up with the strongest parts of the deck.
13:03If they aren't, the autoclave could break right through.
13:07There's another one.
13:09So the arrows are the hardest and main girders of the deck.
13:13So the arrows are the hardest and main girders of the ship.
13:16So when the cradle is on them, it's not a problem.
13:19With pinpoint accuracy, the autoclave is laid down.
13:23Beluga Bremen's first ever super-heavy lift
13:26has taken less than an hour.
13:28That's fine.
13:32One autoclave done, now the other one.
13:35It's a huge relief.
13:37But with dusk just a few hours away, there's no time to relax.
13:41They can't load the second autoclave in the dark.
13:44Everybody sees that it's going well.
13:47People are getting more relaxed.
13:49And that's when the mistake can happen.
13:51So the second one is not less important than the first one.
13:57Same, not moving, number two.
14:01OK, number three, continue string right.
14:04Boom down, hook up.
14:06Continue boom down, hook up and string right.
14:09The second lift is completed without a hitch.
14:12Less than one hour. OK, one hour.
14:15Perfect.
14:19Beluga Bremen has won her first ever heavy lift by a knockout,
14:23with a powerful one-two punch.
14:25We're happy, the client is happy,
14:27and the most important, the captain is happy.
14:29As soon as Bremen's massive hydraulic control cargo doors are closed,
14:33Captain Help doesn't waste a minute casting off from the dock.
14:38Finger up, forward and aft now, please.
14:41For him, this voyage is finally underway.
14:44After two or three days in port, I'm really excited.
14:49OK, let go everything forward, please.
14:56One-ton pilot.
15:04Next stop, Shanghai, China.
15:06A five-and-a-half-day journey across the South China Sea.
15:14We make the cargo somewhere here.
15:16The bow will be somewhere here.
15:18But there's no time off for Jörn Gafkor.
15:21He's getting rookie officers Lars Schleifer and Benny Steffensen
15:25ready to direct their first ever super-heavy lift.
15:28More heavy machinery to be delivered to a gold mine
15:31in the Dominican Republic.
15:33OK, what will be the procedure?
15:37They will do my first tandem lift,
15:39which means using two cranes.
15:41I've never done this before, only with one crane.
15:44So one is doing the ballasting on the bridge,
15:47the other one is actually staying outside and giving the commands.
15:51It's their first big test as officers
15:53and a good chance to move up the chain of command.
15:56Not everybody can become captain.
15:58We will see what happens for me in the future.
16:01I don't know, but for sure I will try.
16:04So that's the motivation that keeps you going.
16:13Up on deck, chief engineer Jörn Klose-Jensen
16:16is facing a big challenge of his own.
16:18That's the hydraulic pump from the hatch cover system.
16:22A powerful hydraulic pump
16:24that opens the ship's giant cargo hatches has burned out.
16:28The boiler exactly needs overheating.
16:31The temperature was more than 80, 90 degrees.
16:35It never goes above 60.
16:38With the pump out of commission,
16:40the heavy cargo in Shanghai can't be loaded into the ship's hold.
16:44It's pretty important.
16:46We need to be able to open and close hatches in the next port.
16:51The chief has to fix it...
16:55..or Beluga Brennan's maiden voyage will grind to a halt.
17:02The heavy lift ship Beluga Brennan is on her way to Shanghai, China,
17:06to pick up more super-sized cargo.
17:09She's only six days into her six-week voyage,
17:12but the journey is in serious trouble.
17:15Chief engineer...
17:17A hydraulic pump that opens her massive cargo doors is broken.
17:21Here we are at the scene of the crime.
17:24If chief engineer Jan Klose-Jensen can't fix it,
17:27the ship won't be able to load cargo into her hold.
17:32Up on the bridge, there are more headaches.
17:35Beluga Brennan, Shanghai pilot, good morning.
17:38The Shanghai Port Authority keeps changing the location
17:41for Beluga Brennan to rendezvous with a harbour pilot.
17:44Beluga Brennan, harbour boarding pass 1025.
17:47Rookie third officer Lars Slipher
17:49has never navigated a ship into Shanghai.
17:52It's one of the busiest ports in the world,
17:55and he has to alter course again and again.
17:59They give you a completely different area to go in.
18:04The ships are coming down, ships are going up.
18:07This one is crossing our course.
18:11It's a big challenge for Lars,
18:13and he's falling behind making his course changes.
18:16Finally, Captain Helt snaps.
18:19I don't want to know what information we got before.
18:23I want to know where the position is, where we have to go.
18:29It takes another nail-biting hour,
18:31but Lars steers Beluga Brennan where she needs to go
18:34and meets up with the pilot.
18:39Now it's harbour pilot Wu Jianwen's job
18:42to steer her safely into port.
18:50He will guide the giant superlifter
18:5270 kilometres up the mighty Yangtze River
18:55into the narrow Huangpu and all the way to her berth.
18:59With over 60,000 ships a year using these rivers,
19:02Shanghai is the most difficult port in the world to navigate.
19:07And local knowledge of the port and its tide cycles is priceless.
19:14I have been here being a pilot for 15 years.
19:20The tidal influence is very strong.
19:24If Jianwen doesn't keep a close watch on the tide,
19:27the ship could be in real danger.
19:31As the tide goes out, it exposes a 12-kilometre stretch of the river
19:35that is just 5 metres deep at low tide.
19:38Beluga Brennan's draft is over 7.5 metres,
19:42deep enough for it to easily run aground.
19:45But at high tide, the river's depth increases to 9 metres,
19:49plenty of room for Brennan to pass safely.
19:53As long as Jianwen's timing is perfect.
19:57Depth 5.2 metres.
19:59And we need 70 metres to clear this.
20:04High tide today is at 12.18.
20:07Beluga Brennan has to reach the shallows
20:10in exactly one hour and 48 minutes.
20:15For 3rd Officer Lars Slipher, it's a baptism by fire.
20:20He has to react fast to Jianwen's instructions
20:24and adjust the ship's course constantly.
20:36Right now there are over 100 ships in the Yangtze
20:39and all of them are trying to cross the shallows on time.
20:45It's a Shanghai rush hour.
20:47But being a big, super-heavy lifter...
20:52..helps clear the way.
20:58The pilot's timing is spot on.
21:01Weaving through traffic,
21:03Brennan rides the tide and reaches her berth right on schedule.
21:18Down in the engine room, there's more good news.
21:26Jian and his team have repaired the damaged pump.
21:34Cargo hatches can be opened
21:36and Lars Slipher and Benny Stephenson
21:39can get ready for their first ever super-heavy lift.
21:48Four giant machines called heat exchangers
21:51for the same Dominican gold mine must be loaded in under 24 hours.
21:55It's the rookies' time in the spotlight.
22:00Each heat exchanger weighs just 150 tonnes,
22:03a lot less than an autoclave, but they're almost as long.
22:09The rookies' instructions to the crane operators
22:12will have to be pinpoint accurate.
22:18Lars will load the first two heat exchangers,
22:21while Chief Officer Jorn Gafkor
22:23and Cargo Superintendent Edward Lopkow keep a close eye on him.
22:31One wrong move, one second of hesitation,
22:34and they'll step in to prevent 150 tonnes
22:37from crashing down onto the ship.
22:41But Lars doesn't blink.
22:48He loads the first two heat exchangers into the cargo bay
22:51with the precision of a veteran.
23:06Benny loads the last two heat exchangers.
23:12As the ship's second officer, he's one rank up on Lars.
23:16But he looks a lot more nervous.
23:23I'm a little bit nervous, but it's OK.
23:29Benny's first lift isn't going well.
23:33He's taking too much time.
23:39150 tonnes dangles dangerously,
23:41threatening to crash down on the ship.
23:45With Jorn and now Captain Helt watching closely,
23:48Benny finally loads it into the cargo hold.
23:53Now he's got one more chance.
23:56And with a few pointers from Jorn...
24:02...he loads the last heat exchanger all on his own.
24:06The two-plane continues going to the left.
24:11He's more confident, he's doing less mistakes.
24:14So more or less he did this lift himself.
24:17It's very, how to say, little assistance from our side.
24:21It's been a challenging day for the young officers.
24:24Better for Lars, but Benny's trying not to keep score.
24:28It's always better we work as a team
24:30and not as competitors.
24:32So we have still two months together,
24:34so we have to be careful about that.
24:37The rookies have both earned a good night's sleep.
24:45But the deck crew must work late into the night,
24:48welding footings and tightening chains
24:50to secure their new pieces of heavy cargo.
24:53Nothing in the holds can move.
24:56If the cargo shifted, it could sink the ship.
25:0321 hours after Beluga Bremen arrived in Shanghai,
25:06she set sail on the longest leg of her journey.
25:10Across the Pacific Ocean
25:12to one of the man-made wonders of the world.
25:22Lower head.
25:25After a three-week, 15,000-kilometre voyage,
25:28Beluga Bremen finally reaches the western coast
25:31of Panama.
25:39The Panama Canal is the world's best shortcut,
25:42an 80-kilometre waterway
25:44that reduces the travel around South America
25:47by 16,000 kilometres.
25:52For Beluga Bremen,
25:54that's a saving of $300,000 in fuel alone.
25:5812,000 ships make the transit every year.
26:01They stage at anchorages,
26:03vast parking areas at either end of the canal,
26:06and then wait their turn.
26:10Beluga Bremen has arrived at the western anchorage
26:13right on schedule.
26:16It's her very first transit,
26:18so she has to be inspected
26:20to confirm that the ship is in good working order
26:23and her cargo secure.
26:25If Bremen doesn't pass, she won't be allowed through.
26:28The Canal Authority can't afford any breakdowns or accidents
26:32that could halt the flow of traffic.
26:34Hello, good evening.
26:36Hi, hello. How are you?
26:38Fine, thank you. How are you yourself?
26:40Not too bad, not too bad.
26:42Jorn escorts Inspector Javier Mendez below deck,
26:46while the crew makes sure
26:48that their 2,200 tonnes of heavy cargo
26:51is safely secured.
26:55All the chains, all turnbuckles,
26:57everything must be in good condition.
27:00Everything must be tight.
27:02Right now.
27:06If it isn't, this is what could happen.
27:09An autoclave crashing into the ship's hull
27:12would cause her to sink like a stone in just seconds.
27:17From bottom to top, Javier inspects Bremen carefully.
27:21Take a picture of this.
27:24He's inspected a lot of ships, but never one like this.
27:28It's a ship that has a very unique design.
27:35After a final check of his notes,
27:37Bremen has passed another test.
27:41Thank you, Chief. Thank you for your good cooperation.
27:44Thanks to you.
27:46Beluga Bremen is ready to go.
27:54And as she travels under the Bridge of the Americas,
27:57she enters one of the greatest feats of engineering in the world.
28:03It took ten years and over twice the explosive power
28:06of the first atomic bomb
28:08to blast the Panama Canal out of rock, mud and thick jungle.
28:13Since it opened in 1914,
28:15the only thing that's changed are the ships.
28:18They're much bigger.
28:20We have to prepare the pilots that are on now.
28:25And that makes the pilots here
28:27just as important as they are in Shanghai.
28:31Working around the clock,
28:33canal pilots navigate every ship on the 12-hour journey
28:36through a complex system of waterways.
28:40From the west, two sets of locks raise ships 26 metres above sea level,
28:45allowing them to travel through a long, narrow channel
28:48and a series of man-made lakes to the east,
28:51where another set of locks lowers them back down to the sea.
28:55The 100-ton doors open wide,
28:58and a team of four 50-ton towing locomotives
29:01connect steel cables to Bremen's hull and pull her inside.
29:08Thank you. One's a load. Going down right now.
29:13Their job is to keep the ship
29:15from smashing into the sides of the lock.
29:18OK, we're now in position in the Miraflores lock.
29:21Lower chamber.
29:24When the gates close, almost 100 million litres of water pour in.
29:28It takes just ten minutes to raise the ship over eight metres.
29:42And by the time she exits the second lock,
29:44Bremen will be 26 metres above sea level.
29:49And heading into the most dangerous section of the canal...
29:52OK, outstation. Let your tugboat out.
29:55..the Gillyard Cut.
29:59At just 150 metres wide,
30:02it's a tight fit for big, modern ships like Beluga Bremen.
30:06If the ship lost control in here,
30:09she could block traffic in both directions.
30:21By nightfall, eight hours after entering the canal...
30:24Starboard five. Starboard five.
30:26..Bremen has cleared the cut.
30:2930 kilometres of man-made lakes.
30:32And is fast approaching the last set of locks at Gatun.
30:36And we're approaching on the starboard side.
30:39Captain Helt can't wait to get through.
30:42I can handle my ship myself again,
30:46not by locomotives and so on.
30:50In 30 minutes, Bremen is back at sea level.
30:54And after a polite goodbye to the pilot,
30:57Captain Helt doesn't waste a second.
31:00Wait until they are on board and then pull ahead.
31:09Beluga Bremen is now in the Caribbean Sea
31:12and heading for her final destination.
31:14A remote port on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic.
31:18Her crew has travelled all over the world,
31:21but no-one has ever been to Samana.
31:24Bad news or good news?
31:26And no-one knows what to expect.
31:29Now we are heading for the Samana Bay into the unknown.
31:34It's been six weeks since Beluga Bremen left Quantan, Malaysia.
31:38And after a 20,000-kilometre journey,
31:41she's reached her final destination,
31:44Samana in the Dominican Republic.
31:47A very unknown port with shallow water.
31:52Samana is a remote port on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic.
31:57And it's the only port in the world
32:01Samana is a remote port on the Dominican's north coast
32:05and originally built to export bananas.
32:11Until the gold mine was developed a year ago,
32:14the port had been inactive for years.
32:16And neither Captain Helt nor Chief Officer Jorn Gafkor
32:19has ever been here before.
32:23Do you have this island in your radar?
32:27We have no proper charts. There's no proper charts available.
32:31We have to be very careful in the final approach.
32:35These veteran sailors know that the channel into the port is narrow
32:39and weaves through a web of coral reefs.
32:43One wrong move and Bremen could run aground.
32:47We have seven metres water here.
32:50Five metres now.
32:52Captain Helt desperately needs a pilot to guide his ship into port.
32:56But the pilot is late.
33:08We are inside the fairway already. And no pilot.
33:14Finally, the pilot answers the radio call.
33:23Samana pilot, Lugar Bremen, good morning.
33:27Lugar Bremen.
33:28Good morning, sir. I want to know if you're in the A-Team.
33:33We are already now at the pilot station.
33:37OK, pilot on the way.
33:40He's running a full 20 minutes late.
33:43Captain Helt's first impression of Samana isn't a good one.
33:47It's Caribbean style.
33:50At least they've got not just one, but two pilots to guide them in.
33:54Good morning. How are you? Fine.
33:57That sounds good. Hang in.
34:01Speed in the four and seven.
34:03These pilots are used to working on smaller cargo and cruise ships.
34:07Half ahead. Half ahead.
34:10At almost 170 metres long,
34:12Lugar Bremen is the biggest and newest ship they have ever navigated.
34:18This is the first time we have a ship like this.
34:22It's not what Captain Helt wants to hear.
34:25Everything OK? Everything OK.
34:28As he hands them control of Beluga Bremen.
34:313-1-0. 3-1-0.
34:37Starboard 20. Starboard 20.
34:413-1-0. 3-1-0.
34:44Starboard 20. Starboard 20.
34:55The job looks easy enough.
34:57There's just one wide-open pier inside the tiny harbour.
35:02Midship. Midship.
35:05Lower stern.
35:07Lower stern. Midships.
35:10Midships.
35:12But as Bremen makes her final approach,
35:14the captain is confused by the pilots' manoeuvres.
35:17How do you want to turn?
35:19We go to the pier.
35:22Bremen needs to turn left, or to port.
35:25But the pilots keep steering her starboard, or to the right.
35:31This is starboard four.
35:34The pilots don't seem to know how to use the bow thrusters
35:37to steer the nose of the ship.
35:39If thrusters are starboard, the line will be at the thrust.
35:45The captain is worried.
35:47His $75 million ship is on a dangerous line
35:50and is headed right at the pier.
35:56Captain Heldt has had enough.
35:58We'll move.
36:00How to move?
36:02As a pilot, that is a question you have to ask
36:06if you come on board.
36:08And not if we are manoeuvring.
36:10I know, because...
36:12To protect his ship, he does what a captain almost never does.
36:16He asks the pilots to step aside.
36:19The only thing I know is that I can handle a battle like that.
36:25So I will do that.
36:27Tensions on the bridge are high.
36:30Still ahead.
36:33We will wait with the land until we are alongside, yeah?
36:37OK.
36:43The pilots are just as relieved as the captain
36:46when Beluga Bremen arrives safely at the pier.
36:54All's well that ends well.
36:56This is the first time it's happened here.
36:59Yeah, no problem at all. Don't worry about it.
37:08But there's plenty for the crew to worry about.
37:11It's hurricane season in the Caribbean,
37:14and the skies are growing darker by the minute.
37:17Dark clouds are coming, strong wind,
37:21and for sure heavy rain.
37:28First, the heat exchangers are unloaded under Jorn's direction.
37:33Now we have to move by crane number two,
37:36boom down and swing right.
37:40But by the time heat exchanger number four is safely on the pier,
37:44the bad weather has arrived.
37:46The job is only half done, and now they can't risk another lift.
37:52So the safety people from our client advised
37:55that everybody should leave the deck,
37:57go inside the accommodation ladder,
37:59and all operations are suspended for the time being until further notice.
38:03With the autoclaves stuck in her hold,
38:05the crew have to wait six hours for the storm to pass.
38:13Beluga Bremen's six-week delivery schedule
38:16is now in danger of being washed away.
38:23Chief Officer Jorn Gafgor
38:25and Cargo Superintendent Edward Lopkow
38:27have to get the job back on track fast.
38:30We have three hours more than daylight to discharge the big units.
38:34Yeah, I know, but I think it will take time to organise the guys back.
38:39Project Manager Roberto Frigini has got an even bigger problem.
38:43We hope that the pier is not going to collapse.
38:49A stress test has revealed that a large section of the pier
38:52could crumble under the weight of an 800-tonne crane.
38:58They've clearly marked the danger area
39:00with a line of yellow bricks and caution barriers.
39:03Now the very last part of the job could be the most dangerous.
39:08It is more challenging because of the environmental conditions,
39:11the pier restrictions, the pier load restrictions.
39:16Beluga Bremen will have to unload the autoclaves beyond the danger zone
39:21by extending the reach of her cranes to the far side of the pier.
39:25Even with her ballast pontoon deployed,
39:28that will push the ship's stability to its limit.
39:37Jorn gets his team ready for their final big test.
39:40We start preparing now the cables, the wires for lifting.
39:45Everything is ready.
39:47And Jorn gives the order for the lift to begin.
39:52Up on the bridge, Captain Lutz Helt and Second Officer Bene Steffensen
39:56monitor the ballast system closely.
39:59Lift coming now to two degrees to port.
40:02Yeah, we're floating, we're in the air.
40:08It will take ten minutes just to clear the cargo hold.
40:12It will take ten minutes just to clear the cargo hold.
40:20Boss, are we above the coming?
40:26Yeah, because crane number three is very close to the limit switch.
40:33So you mean we have to turn more to the starboard side?
40:37Hovering above the hold,
40:39a sudden gust of wind could cause a disastrous shift in weight
40:43and tip the giant ship right over.
40:46Continue, spring right, boom down and grab.
40:49OK, crane number two, spring right.
40:52All right, stop in a boom, number three.
40:56OK, continue hook down.
40:58In less than an hour, the first autoclave is hovering over the pier.
41:07They'll lower it onto a platform trailer with 528 wheels
41:11that will help distribute the weight.
41:14And it better work.
41:20Roberto can only watch and pray the old pier holds.
41:25Now we have a balance on the cranes,
41:27but it's definitely now the moment of truth.
41:30All right, John, we are ready here, so we can proceed.
41:33The bigger bridge, start pumping to port side.
41:38The starboard side is coming tight now.
41:46The first autoclave touches down.
41:54The pier groans under the weight of 800 tonnes.
41:58Everyone holds their breath.
42:01The pier doesn't collapse.
42:05It's one autoclave down, one more to go.
42:13And like clockwork, autoclave number two is lifted and delivered.
42:20Good job, buddy. Good job. Thank you.
42:24Captain Heldt is happy to see it hauled off the pier.
42:28Our job was to bring these autoclaves to the end.
42:34To discharge it safely and undamaged.
42:40For Jorn Gafkor, it's not just a job well done.
42:43It's time to go home, and I'm very happy, and my family is very happy too.
42:48And when he returns after some well-earned time off,
42:52he'll return as a captain.
42:55He will be promoted to sail on the next vessel as a captain.
43:02Even Captain Heldt is moving on,
43:04ready to test-drive Beluga Group's next new ship.
43:08I will go to the next new building then.
43:11And for Beluga Bremen, she has passed the test with flying colours,
43:16and will soon be joined by seven more super-heavy lift ships.
43:21Samana port, we are ready to sail now.
43:25Please send the pilot as soon as possible.
43:29But until they're built, Beluga Bremen stands alone
43:33as the mightiest ship on the seven seas.
43:59BELUGA BREMEN