Aircraft De-Icers Shipping
A deicing truck drives aboard a RoRo ship whole with its boom stowed and its fluid tanks emptied and rinsed. It is too tall for any container door.
Overview
Aircraft deicers are truck-mounted boom units with fluid tanks and heaters. With the boom stowed, they stand well above the 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube, so they ship by RoRo, driving aboard at Baltimore, Brunswick, Jacksonville or Houston where a lane serves the destination.
The glycol tanks are drained and rinsed, because carriers and ports do not accept residual fluid, and the heater and plumbing are drained. The boom and basket are locked in their cradle.
Where no RoRo lane runs, a deicer goes on a 40 ft flat rack if it fits the 12.06 m deck and the payload of about 39,000 kg. Towable deicing carts are smaller and can go in a container.
We have no deicers in our own loading records, so this page sets out the method rather than a past plan. We plan from the manufacturer's figures, the chassis VIN and photos before booking.
Send the make, model and serial number and the fluid tank capacity. The glycol tanks and lines must be drained and flushed before transport, and truck-mounted units need the title for US Customs export clearance. Booms and nozzles are stowed and secured.
Cost depends on whether the deicer is a truck-mounted unit or a towable cart. Truck-mounted deicers usually ship by RoRo, priced by the cubic metres of the vehicle's length, width and height, so a lowered boom saves money. Towable carts go in containers, priced per box plus trucking to the port, and can share a box with other airport equipment.
Typical Specifications
| Chassis | Truck-mounted, single or tandem axle |
|---|---|
| Transport Height | 3.4m - 4.0m (boom stowed) |
| Fluid Tanks | Heated Type I / Type IV tanks |
| Boom | Telescopic/articulating with enclosed basket |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Vestergaard Elephant Beta 15 (truck-mounted): 34 ft 1 in / 10.4 m long, 8 ft 4 in / 2.55 m wide, 12 ft 8 in / 3.85 m high, 38,600 lb / 17,500 kg.
The ladder below is worked out from these figures. Larger or smaller units of the same type can land on a different rung.
Cheapest first: the shipping cost ladder
We price every machine from the bottom rung up. A machine only moves up a rung when a measurement rules out the cheaper method.
Vestergaard Elephant Beta 15 (truck-mounted) is 8 ft 4 in / 2.55 m wide, over the 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m container door, so shipping it whole starts on the next rung up.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
When: Fits through a 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 8 ft 6 in / 2.58 m door and under 59,500 lb / 27,000 kg, whole or after we take off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels.
- Rung 2
Flat rack
Mid cost
Best fit for Vestergaard Elephant Beta 15 (truck-mounted)
When: Too wide or tall for a container door, but within 14 ft 9 in / 4.5 m wide, 13 ft 1 in / 4 m tall and 86,000 lb / 39,000 kg on one rack.
- Rung 3
RoRo
Mid cost
When: Drives or tows aboard, under 19 ft 8 in / 6 m tall and 110 US tons / 100,000 kg, going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
- Rung 4
Breakbulk
Highest cost
When: Past flat-rack and roll-trailer limits, or shipped as modules lifted aboard piece by piece.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
RecommendedFor drivable truck-mounted de-icers within height limits.
Breakbulk / Heavy Lift
For tall or heavy units.
Heavy Haul Trucking
RecommendedInland transport to the port.
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Handling & Preparation Requirements
- Stow and secure the de-icing boom and basket
- Drain or secure fluid tanks per carrier rules
- Reduce fluids and disconnect batteries for ocean shipment
- Protect spray nozzles and controls
- Document hours, fluid system, and condition
Common Models We Ship
- Vestergaard Elephant BETA / MY
- Global Ground Support de-icers
- TLD / Safeaero 220
- Kiitokori de-icers
Where aircraft De-Icers shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on aircraft De-Icers bookings, and what avoids them.
- Draining Type IV fluid without flushing leaves thick glycol residue in tanks and lines that later seeps onto the deck, so we flush with water before the final drain.
- Quoting from the chassis length misses the stowed boom and basket overhanging the cab, which typically adds one to two metres and changes the RoRo lane-metre charge.
- The fluid heater usually runs from a separate diesel burner tank that is easy to overlook when the carrier asks for every fuel tank to be reduced to the permitted level.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are de-icers shipped?
Drivable truck-mounted units ship by RoRo within height limits; tall units may need breakbulk.
Is the fluid drained?
Yes, de-icing fluid is drained or secured per carrier and dangerous-goods rules.
Do you ship to seasonal/winter airports?
Yes, we regularly export winter-operations GSE to airports worldwide.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]Seaway Project Cargo: about the company, checked October 22, 2026
- [2]Seaway Project Cargo country shipping guides, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
Import Duty & Tax Estimator
Estimate duty and VAT on the CIF value for 70+ destinations.
Dimensional Weight Calculator
Work out chargeable weight before you book.
Container Space Calculator
See how your cargo fits in 20ft, 40ft, and HC containers.
Route Finder
Load port, sailings, duty and rules for a machine and destination.
Ready to Ship Your Aircraft De-Icers?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote aircraft De-Icers by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.