The unique specialist heavy lift boat Terra Marique returned to Preston today to deliver another weighty cargo.
Tied up on the Preston Docks side of the River Ribble, the barge slowly twisted sideways across the water aided by a tug, giving a little nudge where needed so its back end lined up with a pier on the Penwortham side.
The well oiled operation (the have done this a few time before) slowly unloaded a huge transformer unit destined for an electricity substation a few miles further up the road.
Due to the rapid tidal range of the Ribble the planning of the operation took several months. The entire manoeuvre across the river took around four hours. Not something we see every day on the Ribble.
Robert Wynn and Sons heavy transport operators have to be congratulated for a slick operation. In fact a little ripple of applause could be heard as the transporter began to unload into Penwortham.
Some more pictures of the operation here from Flickr: