What Is Lift On Lift Off Boat Shipping?

Now that you bought a boat, it is time to get it to your destination. There are several boat shipping options for both local and international transportation. Depending on your location, you can settle on one of these three methods:

1. Ship over land: Boats can be transported over land using trailers. The suitability of this method will depend on your boat size. Boats that are considered too large to be on the roads cannot use the over land option.
2. Yacht transport ship: This option is best suited for overseas ports. This method is also suitable for larger cargo.
3. Delivery captain: A yacht delivery professional can directly sail your boat to your location. This is the cheapest option as the boat does not require another vessel for transportation.

In this article, we will focus on the yacht shipping options. The overseas transport system offers the Lift on/ Lifts off (LOLO), the container, and the Roll on/Roll off (RORO) shipping. The LOLO shipping is a way of loading and offloading boats using on-board cranes. Unlike the other vessels, the LOLO ship has certain characteristics that make it transport cargo unassisted. But first, let us look at some terms often used with LOLO shipping.

• A LOLO cargo: Containerized items that, due to their large size, cannot be transported using containers or RORO ships. They require boats to be loaded and off-loaded using cranes.
• A LOLO operation: This is when the cranes load and discharge a cargo over the top of the ship.

Three features of a LOLO ship

Now, here are the three features of a LOLO ship

1. Flexible cargo-space: The LOLO vessels have flexible cargo spaces which allow large boats to be loaded from the top.
2. Container capacity: The LOLO vessels have a larger container capacity than the RORO and container vessels. This allows for more cargo transportation.
3. On-board cranes: The on-board cranes basically load and off-load boats onto the vessel.

The LOLO ships use the cranes to:

• Efficiently lift a boat
• Steadfastly hold the boat up
• Place the load on a vessel
• Safely lower a boat

The three types of on-board cranes are;

• Derrick cranes: These are motor-driven cranes used to hoist cargo. They have a wrap end from which cargo is hoisted.
• Jib cranes: These deck cranes are used on many modern ships. They can rotate at 360 degrees to allow a more efficient operation than the derricks. Their efficiency also allows for more cargo lifting. When there is more load than one crane can handle, two jib cranes can work together.
• Gantry cranes: These cranes contain extensions which hook and grab cargos. They have rack and pinion gears to drive them and are efficient in lifting very heavy cargo.

As earlier mentioned, RORO and container shipping are alternative to LOLO vessels. We now look at how LOLO compares to the other two options.

LOLO vs other options

What are the advantages of LOLO over RORO?

The LOLO system is economical than RORO as vehicles do not have to be driven onto the transporting vessel. The on-board crane, which uses rails, is used to lift cargo. This feature also makes the method eco-friendly. Alternatively, the RORO shipping encourages CO2 emission which pollutes the environment. Since vehicles have to be driven to a vessel, the RORO system also costs the owner of the vehicle extra in regards to fuel. Lastly, the LOLO system can load more than the RORO vessel due to its higher container capacity.

What are the advantages of RORO over LOLO?

Compared to the RORO system, LOLO shipping is slower. This delays delivery time for boats. This speed aspect also makes transport logistics more complex for the LOLO machines.

What are the advantages of the LOLO over the container shipping?

Container shipping involves loading cargos in a consolidated container. The LOLO vessels accommodate larger boats as compared to the container ones.

What are the advantages of the container shipping over LOLO?

Since the containers vessels can hold fewer vehicles, they are easier to transport and more affordable than the LOLO shipping.

What is the future of LOLO shipping?

One outstanding advantage of the LOLO system is the use of rails. With the current trend of “Green Corridors”, the transport system will favor railways. In addition, LOLO can be used for a variety of cargo; with and without wheels, as well as large and small cargo.

For more information on Lift on/Lift of shipping, get in touch with us and we’ll advice you on this method’s suitability to your needs.

Additional Information

Shipping a Rotating Grab