Queen Beetle, Next Generation Trimaran
JR Kyushu of Japan first high speed trimaran ferry, transported by Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift.
Austal Hull 396, Queen Beetle, is an 83-metre-high speed trimaran passenger ferry. It has a capacity of 502 passenger and an operational speed of 37 knots. Its strategic route is between Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea. JR Kyushu of Japan contracted Austal Australia to design and build the said trimaran. The all-aluminium vessel was constructed in Austal’s shipyard facility in Henderson, Western Australia.
Austal Australia sub-contracted the heavy lift transport of the trimaran to Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift (TBHLS). The trimaran weighs approximately 770.0 metric tonnes including the cradles and packing. TBHLS designed a transport plan, utilising two numbers of 40 axle lines Scheuerle 3rd Generation Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT) placed side by side with two power pack units (PPU). These SPMT’s are owned and managed by Australian Marine Complex (AMC). AMC have a contract agreement with TBHLS for the maintenance and operations of the said transporters. The transport location from the fabrication yard to the launching site, was very congested due to maintenance works being carried out on other vessels.
The TBHLS engineering team, with the assistance from the operations team, conducted site investigation and developed swept path simulations using sophisticated software, SALSA Plus, from the trailer manufacturer Scheuerle, making sure that possible obstructions along the transport path will be avoided. Due to the location of the centre of gravity of the trimaran, some pendulum axles were pinned-up to distribute the load almost equally to the three hydraulic groups making it more stable and convenient for transport.
