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BRIDGE SECTIONS
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or most of us, the Maldives are a dream destination with
an everlasting summer, deep blue seas, colourful reefs and
white sand beaches. However, these myriads of islands face
their particular problems when it comes to day-to-day life: Es-
pecially facilities like airports are expected to be well-integrated
with domestic infrastructure. But what if the airport is located
on one island and the capital on another? On the Maldives, the
airport is located on the island of Hulhulé, and the capital is on
the neighbouring island Malé. Arriving or departing – in any case
you have to take the ferry.
This problem is going to be solved: The Chinese government
is sponsoring the “China-Maldives Friendship Bridge”. A bridge,
spanning about 20 kilometers, is going to connect both islands,
providing separate lanes for vehicles as well as for bicycles and
pedestrians.
MV Svenja was chartered to bring some of the support sec-
tions from Shanghai to Malé. The steel parts, platforms and guide
frames with a single maximum weight of about 367 tons summed
up to a total volume of 39,349 cbm of freight tons. The loading
of the frames required special attendance, because the center of
gravity was difficult to locate. Additionally piles of wooden blocks
were added to support the structure during sea transport.
Discharging was performed without any problems. Now we
are watching the bridge growing, connecting the islands.
D
March 2016 | Shanghai, China – Malé, Maldives
Hongyueyinxiang
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