The conventional 40-foot shipping container changed the way trade operates worldwide. But what do you do when the box won’t accommodate the goods you need to move?
Standard freight forwarding restrictions don’t apply if you’re building a power plant, adding on to a refinery, or bringing a luxury yacht to the UAE. You are dealing with cargo that is too heavy, too large, or too tall for its own good.
It’s not only a matter of logistics to move this kind of huge infrastructure; it’s an engineering project.
Chevron Sea Shipping is an expert in Breakbulk and Out-of-Gauge (OOG) project cargo. This is how we do the heavy lifting for the UAE’s largest business and industrial sectors.
1. What are OOG and Breakbulk Cargo?
People typically use the words “load” and “unload” interchangeably, although there is a small variation in how the cargo is loaded onto the ship:
- Out-of-Gauge (OOG): This type of cargo is put on specific container equipment, including Flat Racks (containers with no roof or walls) or Open Top containers. The cargo is bigger than a conventional box, but it may still be shipped in a container.
- Breakbulk: Cargo too large to fit in any container. It is hoisted one at a time and tied directly to the deck or hold of a special heavy-lift ship.
We often work with industrial transformers, construction cranes, oil-rig components, steel pipelines, earth-moving equipment, and luxury yachts.
2. The Engineering That Goes Into the Lift (Rigging and Lashing)
You can’t just put a 50-ton turbine on a ship and hope for the best.
- The Problem: If a ship’s weight isn’t evenly distributed, the cargo can shift during stormy ocean travel, which can cause serious harm to the goods, the ship, and the crew.
- The Solution: Before the move, our project cargo team does thorough engineering assessments. We figure out the exact center of gravity and make special arrangements for lifting (rigging). Once on board, we utilize heavy-duty chains, turnbuckles, and specialty welding (dunnage) to tie the cargo down to the deck so that it doesn’t move at all during the trip.
3. Transportation throughout the country: the “Route Survey”
The first step is to get the huge cargo off the ship at Jebel Ali or Port Rashid. Often, the hardest part is getting it to your construction site in the desert.
- The Problem: A piece of machinery 6 meters tall can’t fit beneath regular highway bridges. A 100-ton generator can’t cross some roads that have weight limits.
- Our Process: Chevron does thorough Route Surveys. We make a map of the whole inland route from the port to your site. We determine bridge heights, coordinate with the RTA and local police to close roads and provide escorts, and use specialized multi-axle hydraulic trailers (SPMTs) to move the cargo across the UAE road network safely.
4. Getting around the port’s infrastructure and cranes
Not every port can handle Breakbulk freight.
Jebel Ali is a world-class facility, but if you want to coordinate huge lifts, you need to arrange specialized floating cranes or high-duty gantry cranes well in advance.
Our operations team works closely with DP World and the port authorities to make sure that the heavy-lift cranes and our waiting trailers are ready when the ship arrives. This prevents delays that cost a lot of money and storage fees at the port.
5. Projects that don’t have to pay customs or duties
The project costs a lot of money. A flat 5% import charge on a piece of machinery worth millions of dirhams can significantly affect a project’s budget.
You might not have to pay duty on your equipment if it is brought in for a specific construction project and then sent back out, or if it is going to a Free Zone. Our customs brokers handle the complex documentation required to secure these exclusions, protecting your bottom line.
We Move Mountains (and Machines)
When you’re moving big project cargo, you can’t afford to make mistakes. To make the relocation go smoothly, you need a partner who knows how to operate heavy machinery, has relationships with local authorities, and has extensive technical know-how.
Talk to our Project Cargo experts about your next big shipment.
- 📞 Call or WhatsApp: +971 54 400 6210
- 📧 [email protected] is the email address.