Local Shipping – Hull 105 (Sheerlegs).

/ Bezzina Maritime Services, Caissons, Capt. Lawrence Dalli, dredger, Floating Sheerlegs, GHM, Grand Harbour, Grand Harbour Marina, Hull 105, Kalaxlokk, KXC, Landing Craft Tank, LCT 413, Local Shipping, Malta, Malta Drydocks, MaltaShipPhotos, Maltese Built, MATADOR, MDD, Mooring Buoys, Mooring Lines, MSPAP, Non Self Propelled, Raising, Repair Ship, Resinex, Resinex PEM 30 buoys, Salvage, Salvage Operation, Sank, Sunk, Valletta, Valletta Port / By

The only floating sheerleg in the Maltese Islands and non self propelled one is the Hull 105 currently operated by Bezzina Maritime Services.

Fixed shear legs are most commonly found on floating cranes known as floating sheerlegs. These have heavy A-frame booms and vary in lifting capacity between 50 and 4,000 tons, and are used principally in shipbuilding, other large scale fabrication, cargo management, and salvage operations. HULL 105 was built by Malta Drydocks in 1973 for Kalaxlokk Co Ltd (KXC) to be used in government maritime projects, harbour works etc.

Her lifting capacity is 100 tons with length of 33 metres and 12 m beam. She was used for various projects and back in 1992 she was seen at Coal Wharf, Grand Harbour for the raising of the sunken dredger MATADOR. She was a converted dredger from MRC 1413 (ex-LCT Landing Craft Tank) 413) repair ship that was purchased together with MRC 1023 (Ex-LCT1054) and a tug by V.Bezzina early in November 1966.

In 2000 she was bought by Bezzina Maritime Services like all KXC assets and in 2004 she was used to lift caissons at the Grand Harbour Marina as a foundation for the mooring buoys.

Resinex PEM 30 mooring buoys were used –

From time to time she’s used to lift sunken barges –

Watermarked Photos are by Capt. Lawrence Dalli otherwise stated. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com

Published – Saturday 26th December, 2020