MTS Valour towing the heavy lift barge Terra Marique leaves Felixstowe 6th February 2018

MTS Valour towing the heavy lift barge Terra Marique leaves the Port of Felixstowe bound for Ellesmere Port. On Sunday 4th February a 141 tonne transformer travelled from Sizewell Nuclear power station's storage yard at Leiston to Felixstowe. With a combined weight of 274 tonnes the abnormal load was going to be moving at a very slow speed the whole way to the port.

The Terra Marique was towed from Portland by the MTS Valour into Felixstowe Sunday afternoon. Very carefully the heavy lift units with the transformer were driven onto the barge to an exact position to keep the barge stablised while in transit. 

Just after 11am the MTS Valour connected up ready to tow the barge out of the harbour.  A pilot onboard the tug slowly increases their power to get the barge moving. Sitting close to the Fort buoy a Harwich Haven Pilot Launch waits for the tug and tow to pass so the pilot could disembark.  The voyage is expected to take 5 days to get to Ellesmere Port.