Project cargo
Project cargo logistics from the United States
A project shipment moves many pieces of a plant or fleet to one site on one schedule: each piece goes by the cheapest method that takes it, from containers to heavy-lift ships that lift up to 2,205 US tons (2,000 t)[1], under one plan for permits, export filing and delivery.
- combined crane lift on the heaviest ships in one heavy-lift fleet[1]
- 2,205 US tons (2,000 t)
- gross truck weight on the Interstate before a permit is needed[2]
- 80,000 lb36,287 kg
- value of a Schedule B line above which an export filing is required[3]
- $2,500
- before vessel loading that the export filing is due[3]
- 24 hours
Which service the project needs
Most projects use several of these at once. The piece list, with every weight and dimension, decides which.
| Method | Use it when | Avoid it when |
|---|---|---|
| Project logistics under one contract | Many pieces from several suppliers must reach one site in a set order, with one party responsible for the schedule. | There are only one or two machines: book the ocean method directly. |
| Site delivery and installation | The cargo must be set on its foundation, not left at the port or the site gate. | The buyer’s own contractor unloads and installs. |
| Heavy lift | A piece is past road, flat rack and roll trailer limits[2]. | A lowboy and a flat rack take every piece. |
| Vessel charter | The cargo fills a large share of a ship, or no liner calls the port near the site[1]. | Liner sailings take the pieces on the dates the site needs. |
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go 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.
How a project shipment is planned
- 01
Piece list
Weight, dimensions, centre of gravity and lifting points for every piece, from the suppliers’ drawings.
- 02
Method per piece
Container, flat rack, roll trailer or breakbulk, chosen by fit and by the date the site needs it.
- 03
Inland legs
Truck, rail or barge from each supplier to the port, with a permit from every state for loads over the federal limits[2].
- 04
Export filing
Electronic Export Information for each Schedule B line over $2,500, due 24 hours before vessel loading[3].
- 05
- 06
Delivery and set
Discharge, import clearance by the buyer’s broker, the road leg to the site and the final lift.
Rules that apply to every project
- Electronic Export Information (15 CFR 30)U.S. Census Bureau
Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for each Schedule B number worth more than $2,500 going to one consignee on one conveyance, and for every vehicle whatever its value. For vessel cargo it is due at least 24 hours before loading; the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier with the booking.[6][3]
Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle
- ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS
Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.[4]
Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage
- SOLAS verified gross mass (VGM)IMO
Since 1 July 2016 the shipper must give a signed verified gross mass for each packed container, found by weighing the packed unit or by adding the weighed cargo, lashing and dunnage to the container tare. The carrier needs it before the stowage plan is drawn up; without it the container is not loaded.[5]
Applies to: Every packed container, flat rack and open top
- Federal truck size and weight limits (23 CFR 658)FHWA
On the Interstate system a truck may gross 80,000 lb, with 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem; on the National Network the load may be 102 in wide. There is no federal height limit: states set 13.6 to 14.6 ft. A load over any of these needs an oversize or overweight permit from every state on the route.[2]
Applies to: Every road move to and from the port
- Cranes and derricks in construction (29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC)OSHA
The crane may only be set up where the ground is firm, drained and graded enough, with mats or cribbing if needed, to meet the manufacturer’s support and level requirements. The operator must be trained, certified and evaluated. Anyone hooking or guiding a load inside the fall zone works with a load rigged by a qualified rigger, and a signal person is required when the operator cannot see the load. Near power lines up to 350 kV, one permitted method keeps the crane, load line and load at least 20 ft away.[7]
Applies to: Crane lifts at U.S. job sites, yards and plants
Questions about project cargo
What counts as project cargo?
A shipment of many pieces for one site, such as a plant, a mine fleet or a power station, delivered on one schedule. It usually mixes containers, out-of-gauge pieces and heavy lifts.
Who files the export information for a project?
The U.S. exporter, or a forwarder it authorizes in writing. Each Schedule B line over $2,500 needs a filing, due 24 hours before the ship loads.
Can a project ship on several vessels?
Yes. Pieces are often split across liner sailings by method and date; a charter is used when the cargo fills a large share of a ship or no liner calls the port.
Our Project Cargo Services
- Turnkey Project Logistics
One contract covers every leg from the suppliers’ plants to the site: the piece list, inland permits, the export filing that is due 24 hours before loading, the ocean method for each piece and the delivery, with one schedule and one point of contact.
- Site Delivery & Installation Support
Site delivery ends with the machine on its foundation: the road leg within the permit, at least four tiedowns on the trailer, and a crane set on firm, graded ground with a certified operator and a qualified rigger.
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]SAL Heavy Lift, Fleet list (April 2026), checked October 18, 2026
- [2]FHWA, Commercial Vehicle Size and Weight Program (23 CFR 658), checked October 18, 2026
- [3]U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Regulations FAQs, checked October 18, 2026
- [4]USDA APHIS, Export ISPM 15-compliant wood packaging material, checked October 18, 2026
- [5]IMO, SOLAS verified gross mass requirement enters into force (1 July 2016), checked October 18, 2026
- [6]eCFR, 15 CFR 30.37 Miscellaneous exemptions (Foreign Trade Regulations), checked October 18, 2026
- [7]eCFR, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC Cranes and Derricks in Construction, checked October 18, 2026
Send us the machine and the destination
Give us the model or the measured dimensions and weight. We come back with the method, the sailing and a price, and the figures behind them.