Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has again demonstrated its capability to handle all types of cargo, this time a very important load of heavy machinery and steel parts for a new bridge currently being constructed across the Nile River in Uganda.
Emirates SkyCargo was recently awarded the charter by a Japanese construction company to carry the heavy equipment from Tokyo’s Narita Airport to Entebbe on 26 December, via the cargo carrier’s hub in Dubai. The cargo, weighing about 84 tonnes, consisted of machinery, including a winch, down-the-hole hammer, and steel parts for the bridge.
The cable-stayed bridge, currently one of the biggest bridge developments in central and east Africa, is a project by the Government of Uganda with support from the Government of Japan, and is located at Jinja near the source of the Nile. Once completed the bridge is expected to improve transport flows on the Northern Corridor route which links Uganda and neighbors Burundi, Rwanda and eastern DRC to Kenya.
“This was a very high profile charter for what clearly is a very important project in Uganda. We were delighted to be entrusted by the construction company to move this load, and prove that Emirates SkyCargo has the capability and capacity to move large and outsized cargo, requiring careful planning. Our field teams in Japan and Uganda along with our Dubai based Freighter and Charters and hub operations teams worked very hard to ensure the success of this charter,” said Ravishankar Mirle, Emirates Vice President, Cargo Commercial, Far East and Australasia.
“Emirates SkyCargo has carried many outsized items of cargo over the years, from helicopters, to ship rudders, aircraft engines and even a yacht’s mast, among others, so we have a lot of experience in managing this type of cargo,” he added.
To carry the cargo, Emirates SkyCargo used one of its Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft, which is capable of carrying over 100 tonnes of cargo per flight. The aircraft is one of the most modern and technologically advanced freighters available, with its wide main deck enabling access for outsized cargo and larger consignments.
Emirates SkyCargo operates a fleet of 15 freighters, including two Boeing 747-400Fs and 13 Boeing 777Fs, that operate from their base at Emirates SkyCentral, located in the logistics district of Dubai South, from where they service over 50 scheduled freighter destinations around the world.
