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Third Barge Shipment Complete

HENRY ABRAM & SONS have successfully completed the third barge shipment.

The Lower Block of the Queen Elizabeth Carrier was loaded onto a barge at BAE Systems Govan using Self Propelled Modular Trailers. The Block weighed a total of 7600Te, with a length of 60m and width of 39m.

The barge was towed to Rosyth in just over 4 days with one towing tug and one standby.

During Loadout an independent Ringmain Ballast System mounted to the barge deck was used, this comprised of a control cabin on the barge, and a number of hydraulically operated pumps each capable of pumping 1200Te of water per hour.

Lower Block 03 was floated off in River Forth by ballasting the barge down such that the main deck was below the waterline. Barge was set down on the sea bed at low water to allow the rising tide to float the block off the barge. The bock itself was then towed into Rosyth non-tidal basin, by local harbour tugs, where the block was delivered to Babcock Marine for docking in No.1 Drydock.

The next Shipment is due to take place towards the end of March2012/early April 2012