| Two very large ships with components for wind turbines have been unloaded in Skelleftehamn and two more almost as large are on their way in. The wind turbines, 30 in total, are manufactured in China and are the first to be delivered to Western Europe. |  |
- Well, it's a really big challenge, says Harris Nyqvist, site manager for ShoreLink Terminal in Skelleftehamn. The last time we unloaded 30 wind turbines (2012-2013) they arrived from Germany on a total of 12 smaller ships, which made the unloading somewhat easier. The challenge this time is that the ships are much higher and wider, which is why we need two cranes to lift the components from the boat.
Each work consists of 12 parts, which means that a total of 360 difficult lifts will be carried out in Skelleftehamn. This means that the personnel from ShoreLink and Skellefteå Hamn has extensive experience from similar lifts, although the conditions are somewhat different this time.
Quickly on to Blaiken
In addition to the fact that the actual unloading of the wind turbine components is more complicated this time, it also places great demands on the overall logistics. Once a ship is unloaded, the components must be transported quickly to the assembly site in Blaiken, west of Storuman, to make room for the cargo on the next ship. The components are large and together the cargo on one of these ships takes up almost the entire warehouse space in the port.
Even though the demands are high and the pace must be kept up, there are entirely positive tones among the staff who find it fun to work with a load that does not occur too often.
The unloading – an attraction
The unloading itself has become an attraction from a distance from the other side of the bay.
"We see that there are cars parked and that many people are looking at the large ships. I myself live on that side of the bay and when I am home I see that many people stop, get out of the car and look towards the harbor," concludes Harris.
Right now, all staff in Skelleftehamn are getting a break for a few days with a little less to do. The next boat won't arrive until a week later, and then everything will start again.