As one of the main trading routes between North Africa and Europe the roro vessels operating between Marseille and Tunis can be called upon to carry some very unusual cargo.

Recently the Stena RoRo vessel Mont Ventoux commenced delivering tramways to the City of Tunis for their new urban tramlink between Tunis and the nearby town of Ben Arous. The trams are new units manufactured in France by Alstom who will deliver a total of 30 trams to Transtu (the operating company for the Tunis tram network). Approximately 3 units will be delivered each month via the Mont Ventoux.. The trams will enter commercial service in July 2007.

The units represent new challenges to the charterer CMA-CGM and the vessel to ensure that these high value cargo units are delivered in pristine condition.

Each tram with its specialised transport unit is 47.6 metres long and weighs 96.5 metric tonnes.      

The stern ramp requires to be horizontal (+/-2 degrees inclination) in order for the units to be safely loaded onboard and discharged. The configuration of the Mont Ventoux’s stern ramp and draught (relative to the quay heights in Marseille and Tunis) fulfils this requirement.