In July 2009, our RO-RO vessel, M.V. Mercury, was hired by L&T to transport two reactors weighing 1250 MT each from Hazira to Shanghai. She is a very specialised vessel with deck strength ranging up to 300 T/sqm as well as a large open deck space allowing large and heavy pieces to be loaded. L&T's other option would be to move the pieces by barge to Mumbai and load it on a super heavy-lift vessel in Mumbai port. Since the transport was to be performed during the monsoon, moving the pieces by barge would be hazardous. L&T chose the safer option of transporting it on M.V. Mercury, as the vessel would not be hindered by the monsoon rough seas. The vessel also offered a more competitive solution than a traditional heavy-lift vessel.

M.V. Mercury was berthed alongside L&T's jetty in Hazira. The pieces were rolled-on to the vessel one at a time and placed on stools. Once the piece was on board, hydraulic jacks were used to lower the piece to deck level so it could be lashed and secured for the voyage. The vessel then sailed to Shanghai, China. The pieces were then discharged by a heavy-lift floating crane and placed directly onto the receiver's hydraulic trailers.

M.V. Mercury provides safe and competitive transport solutions for project cargo, especially super heavy pieces. It also provides an alternative for transport on the Indian coast during the monsoon period.