Wash Plants Shipping
A mobile wash plant ships with its conveyors folded, by RoRo or on a flat rack. Modular plants ship as tanks, screens, cyclones, pumps and pipework, most of it on flat racks and in containers.
Overview
Wash plants for sand, aggregate and minerals are either mobile units on wheels or tracks, or modular plants assembled on site. A mobile plant folds its conveyors for transport and then ships like a tracked screen: whole by RoRo where a lane serves the destination, or on a 40 ft flat rack when it fits the 12.06 m deck and about 39,000 kg payload.
Modular plants ship as components: the screen, the sump tank, cyclones, pumps, dewatering screens, thickeners and pipework. Tanks and thickener sections are often wider than the 2.34 m container door and go on flat racks or as breakbulk. Pumps, motors, cyclones and controls go in 40 ft high cubes.
Everything that has carried water and soil is drained, washed and dried before loading, because destination ports inspect for soil and standing water.
We have no wash plants in our own loading records, so this page sets out the method rather than a past plan. Containers and flat racks sail from Houston, Savannah and most US ports. We confirm the plan from the manufacturer's transport drawings before booking.
Send the plant make and model, the component list and whether it is skid-mounted, wheeled or tracked. Wash plants are often a set of screens, cyclones, pumps and tanks, and each needs its own plan. Drain every tank and pump and clean out sand and silt before shipping.
Cost depends on the number of components and how many boxes they fill. Pumps, cyclones and smaller screens pack in containers at a per-box rate, and large screens or tanks go on flat racks. Trucking from the plant to the port is quoted on top.
Typical Specifications
| Modules | Scrubber, screens, sand screws, cyclones, tanks |
|---|---|
| Heaviest Lifts | 15 - 40+ metric tons per module |
| Transport | Modularized multi-load shipment |
| Conveyors | Folded or shipped separately |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Twin-shaft log washer module (largest load): 36 ft 1 in / 11 m long, 10 ft 6 in / 3.2 m wide, 9 ft 2 in / 2.8 m high, 61,700 lb / 28,000 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.
Twin-shaft log washer module (largest load) weighs 61,700 lb / 28,000 kg, over the 58,400 lb / 26,500 kg a 40 ft container carries, 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 Twin-shaft log washer module (largest load)
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.
Breakbulk / Heavy Lift
RecommendedFor large scrubber and screen modules.
Flat Rack Container
RecommendedFor sand screws, conveyors, and tanks.
Container Shipping
RecommendedFor pumps, cyclones, and crated parts.
Heavy Haul Trucking
RecommendedPermitted inland 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
- Plan the module load list
- Fold/secure conveyors and walkways
- Protect screens, screws, and pumps
- Manage export documentation for multi-piece shipments
- Plan reassembly support at destination
Common Models We Ship
- McLanahan wash plants
- CDE aggregate washing systems
- Terex Washing Systems / AggreSand
- Powerscreen / Trio wash plants
Where wash plants shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on wash plants bookings, and what avoids them.
- Polyurethane screen panels and cyclone liners degrade in sunlight, so leaving them exposed on an open flat rack for weeks shortens their life; ship them crated or in a box.
- Sand left in screw troughs and sumps can weigh several tonnes, so an uncleaned module exceeds its declared weight and fails the verified gross mass check at the terminal.
- Some water-treatment coagulants packed with a plant are classed as corrosive dangerous goods, so list them separately with safety data sheets instead of hiding them in the parts container.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are wash plants shipped?
As modularized multi-load shipments combining breakbulk, flat rack, and containers.
Do you handle the documentation for a multi-module plant?
Yes, we manage the consolidated export documentation and module load lists.
Can you arrange reassembly?
Yes, we can coordinate technical support for plant reassembly at the destination.
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 Wash Plants?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote wash plants by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.