What makes this project special?
Especially for the farewell of the Happy Buccaneer, we designed this large paper model for BigLift Shipping. After more than forty years of service, from 1984 to 2024, this iconic heavy-lift ship was taken out of service.
The model is presented as a sturdy 20-page brochure. On the cover is an impressive photo of the ship; inside, a overview of highlights from forty years of voyages across the world’s oceans.
- Large scale model about 50 cm long
- Suitable for less experienced builders as well
- Fine details such as lifeboats
- Clear visual building instructions
- Sustainably printed locally
About the Happy Buccaneer
The Happy Buccaneer was a pioneer in heavy-lift shipping. Built in 1984 at the Japanese Hitachi Zosen yard, to a design by Dutch naval architect Ernst Vossnack in cooperation with Mammoet Shipping, Nedlloyd and crane builder Huisman.
With two Huisman cranes of 700 tonnes each and a spacious deck, the ship set the standard for later heavy-lift vessels. BigLift called her the Grand Old Lady of the fleet. In forty years she made 286 voyages, sailed the equivalent of about 135 times around the world and housed some 2,100 crew members. The main engines ran for more than 200,000 hours.
About this project
For BigLift Shipping we made a detailed paper model of this legendary crane vessel, as an exclusive corporate gift for the farewell. Recipients build a recognisable scale model of about 50 centimetres themselves, complete with crane, deck and characteristic details such as the lifeboats.
The model is designed as a brochure: handy to hand out, impressive to open, and then a model that sits on a desk or in a cabinet. That way the Happy Buccaneer stays visible long after the real ship has left the oceans.
A corporate gift people really spend time on — resulting in a model that stays visible for a long time.
The result
The model was received with enthusiasm. People take time to build; photos even circulate of finished versions with extra details added by model builders. For BigLift this is a corporate gift that remains a tangible memory of forty years of Happy Buccaneer.
