Apr 14, 2017: Emirates SkyCargo has transported ‘New Zealand Aotearoa’ – Emirates Team New Zealand’s race boat – from Auckland to Bermuda in advance of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup sailing competition which will begin in late May 2017. Through this transport, Emirates SkyCargo has once again demonstrated its ability to safely transport outsized and unusual cargo.
Emirates SkyCargo transported Emirates Team New Zealand’s race boat and all associated support equipment including the team’s chase boat. In order to facilitate the loading and air transportation process, the high-tech sailing boat had to be disassembled into smaller parts – two hulls, two wings, beams, rudders and other equipment. During the packaging process, metal frames were used to reinforce the packing to ensure that there would be no damage to the individual components during the transportation process.
The packaged components were then trucked from their base to the airport, security screened and then loaded on the aircraft. It took over four hours for the team to complete the loading process. Emirates SkyCargo’s trained and experienced staff worked closely with the technical staff from Emirates Team New Zealand making sure that the loading went smoothly.
Three ground crew from Emirates Team New Zealand travelled with the equipment onboard the Emirates SkyCargo freighter. The flight included a 90-minute stopover in Los Angeles for the aircraft to refuel and change flight crew before continuing its journey to Bermuda. Emirates Team New Zealand will take one week to put the boat back together after arrival in Bermuda.
It would have taken close to six weeks to transport the boat over sea from Auckland to Bermuda. The flight took off from Auckland at 10.30 am local time on Monday and arrived at Bermuda across the dateline on the same day.
Given the logistical challenges involved in the transport of the boat, Emirates SkyCargo initiated the planning process with Emirates Team New Zealand several months prior to the actual date of the transportation. The teams discussed and worked together over several aspects of the shipment including sharing detailed technical drawings of the broken-down components to arrive at the optimal load plan for the flight.
Fact file:
• Total weight of shipment: 44,490 kilograms • Boat was disassembled into a number of smaller components • Platform of the boat was split into six pieces • Each of the two wings of the boat carried were split into five pieces • Chase boat weighed just over 8 tonnes and measures 12.8 metres in length • Hulls of the boat measured 15 metres in length