Sea Transport offers pioneering and cost-effective ship solutions

Stuart Ballantyne is first and foremost a seaman. Combining his experience and passion for ships and the sea with astute business acumen, Ballantyne has grown Sea Transport Solutions into a leading marine design and consulting player that specialises in state-of-the-art and sustainable vessel design.

Sea Transport's technological breakthroughs have raised vessel standards while minimising their environmental footprint, in turn delivering profitability and economic advantages to its clients.

It is this novel approach that has won the company six international awards including the Australian Exporter of the Year in 2008. "We test and optimise vessels to deliver savings for our clients," says Ballantyne, the company's founder and managing director. "We don't just preach the word but we practise it."

Sea Transport caters to a diverse customer range, from pleasure vessels to military vessels for the Royal Australian Navy, Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy. It has also designed the world's largest 150-metre roll-on/roll-off (Ro-ro) passenger catamaran.

Sister company Sea Transport Logistics develops customised commercial vessels for the mining industry. Its patented bulk transshipment solution, the floating harbour transshipper (FHT), is the only system that allows transshipment using feeder vessels in very small and shallow harbours. This is an advantage for mining companies that no longer need to construct costly deep-water ports ashore for cargo loading and unloading. Offering four different sizes of FHTs up to 240,000 deadweight tonnage for varying cargoes and rougher sea conditions, the FHT also prevents rainfall from affecting the transportable moisture limit of the cargo. The FHTs provide a safe dock without grab spillage or dust, making it a convincing operational and environmental solution.

The FHTs are also suitable for containers and Ro-ro cargo as they are able to carry a wide range of bulk commodities. With Sea Transport's FHTs, clients achieve faster transfer rates with reduced port charges.