A Word From GPLN: Issue 82 / September-October 2021
The current market situation has seen a complete reversal of roles between the container shipping segment and the breakbulk and MPP sector. While traditionally container vessels competed for project cargo, nowadays, breakbulk, MPP and even heavy lift vessels are loading containers. Looking back 12 to 18 months, the container carriers aggressively pursued project cargo. According to some reliable sources, the rates were at an unsustainably low level and it was almost a race to the bottom which saw a number of companies going out of business. However at present you can see goods taking over containers and being transported as breakbulk, and containers moving directly to breakbulk, and even to heavy lift vessels with 900-ton lifting capacity. That means that project cargo and breakbulk cargo are now exposed to the developments in the container market. With this capacity crunch, the question is whether there is actually a place for project cargo on container ships. Using the container vessel for out-of-gauge cargo means sub-optimization of the vessel’s capacity, the same goes for loading containers on a vessel with large lifting capacity and some port pairs allow for better transit times and reduced costs. Shipping companies agree that the capacity crunch has pushed the rates up which is great from their own perspective. The higher rates could also lead to more investments in fleet expansion. But recently some shipping companies have decided to cap spot rates increase in order to prioritize its long-term relationship with customers.
In other news Egypt has signed a deal valued at roughly USD 4.45 bn for the construction of a high-speed electric railway linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. A consortium comprising Siemens Mobility, Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors will develop the landmark project that has been dubbed the “Suez Canal on rails”. The 660 km connection, which links the port cities of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh and Alexandria on the Mediterranean, is forecast to carry more than 30 million passengers annually and will feature a dedicated freight line. Siemens Mobility’s share of the contract is some USD 3 bn and it will provide the high-speed and regional trains, locomotives, rail infrastructure and related services. In addition to benefiting passenger travel, the first fully electric mainline rail network in Egypt should also create thousands of local jobs and open up huge possibilities for freight transportation.
As announced earlier GPLN will conduct the renown Heavy Lift Maritime and Transport Seminar on May 20, 2022 at the Hilton Hotel in Rotterdam, followed by its 17th Annual General Meeting from May 20-22, 2022 at the same hotel venue.
Both GPLN events can be combined with Breakbulk Europe which is scheduled ahead from May 17-19, 2022 at Ahoy Convention Center Rotterdam. GPLN will exhibit at this event and has secured a prime location in the main hall. We have booked 36 sqm which is the equivalent of 4 regular stands.
We are looking forward to meet our members again in-person during these GPLN events and share our booth with several GPLN members after 2 years away from mingling with fellow project logistics specialists.
All upcoming events are obviously subject that the world is back to normal in 2022.
Stay safe and healthy!
Your GPLN Team
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New GPLN Members / September – October 2021 |
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| Australia | Brisbane | Powerhouse International (QLD) Pty Ltd |
| Italy | Livorno | Greenshields Project Cargo S.r.l. |
| Norway | Stavanger | ColliCare Projects & Logistics AS |
| Turkey | Bursa | Militzer&Münch Ulus. Nak. ve Loj. Hiz. Tic. A.S. |
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | Bee Logistics Corporation |
| Panama | Colon | NAKAMA Worldwide Solution |
PROTRANSER handles several projects to DRC
GPLN member Protranser from China delivered cargo by both container vessel and breakbulk vessel from Shanghai port, China, to DRC via Durban port, South Africa, for a local transmission line project since the middle of 2020. Total volume included 45*40’HQ+1*20’GP in 8 lots and 1200cbm breakbulk cargo in 2 lots. Working scope included port service in Shanghai port, sea freight service for both container and breakbulk vessel and transporting cargo from Durban to jobsite in DRC.
Protranser delivered also cargo by both container vessel and breakbulk vessel from Shanghai port, China to DRC via Durban port, South Africa, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for a steel ball factory project since October 2020. Total volume included 16*40’HQ+2*40’OT in 4 lots and over 600cbm breakbulk cargo in 1 lot. Working scope included port service in Shanghai port, sea freight service for both container and breakbulk vessel and transporting cargo from Durban and Dar es Salaam port to jobsite in DRC by trucks.
Protranser delivered once more 800cbm cargo for a mining project from Durban port, South Africa, to Dikulushi, DRC. The whole process was smooth, although it was not easy to find trucks to Dikulushi for bad road condition. But we managed it finally. With another shipment Protranser delivered 10 mining trucks from Tianjin port to jobsite in DRC via Durban port, South Africa. The weight of each truck was 30 tons and total volume was over 1300cbm. Working scope consisted of collecting cargo at Tianjin port, chartering breakbulk vessel from Tianjin to Durban and delivering trucks to DRC by low-bed trailers.
Furthermore, Protranser delivered 5 sets of generators from Shanghai port to Kolwezi, DRC, via port in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The value of these cargo was as high as around 3.7 million dollars, which were stuffed in 13 containers. Working scope included: picking up cargo at factory in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, shipping from Shanghai to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and delivering to jobsite. We overcame the challenge of shortage of space because of COVID and delivered all cargo successfully to our client in around 65 days door to door.
Protranser delivered also 1900 tons of sodium sulfide for a mining project in DRC. All cargo was stuffed in 95 20′ containers, shipped in 3 lots and delivered to jobsite by trailers after unstuffed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Finally, Protranser delivered 36 tons valve for a mining project in DRC by air. All cargo was transported in 3 lots from Guangzhou, China, to Lubumbashi via Ethiopia. Transit time of each lot was 5-7 days.
Total Movements deliver 6 units of generators and accessories
Recently, one of GPLN member Total Movements most valuable clients entrusted them with an ex-works pickup of generators and their accessories of various sizes and weights, the maximum being 49 MT from Ennore (neighborhood in Chennai) to the busiest discharge port in Europe, Rotterdam. The scope included inland transport from ex-works to load port covering about 400km, port activities, and ocean transport from India to Europe. Apart from the Covid19 induced restrictions, this shipment was assigned to us on less than 10 days’ notice, for which all the arrangements were made on a war footing basis to meet the deadline. While the shipment was fraught with challenges, the team was 24/7 available to coordinate with all stakeholders to solve any requirements and was also physically available in the field to monitor the operations. With support from all the stakeholders involved, timely delivery was ensured as per the committed transit time, which is a rare feature in these tough times.
Furthermore, amidst uncertainty, Total Movements delivered also critical heavy engineering components for a reputed customer
A door-to-door shipment from Italy’s factory to India’s delivery site carried about 700FRT of ODC cargo, with its heaviest piece weighing 66MT.
The entire cargo was planned to be loaded and shipped out of the Italian Port. However, due to various infrastructural upgrade enroute and the holiday season, Road Permits were quite delayed, which was affecting the overall project schedule.
Since the team was monitoring this daily, they understood that they needed to execute plan B. The team discussed with the various stakeholders involved in the shipment to start the execution by using the alternate route/shipping plan. While it was a challenge to arrange alternate permits/booking space on the vessel (in the current scenario) at the last minute, with agile actions, the team was able to achieve this and all cargo was delivered on time.
Universal Transport sets the wind in motion
From September 14 to 17, 2021, the HUSUM Wind, Germany’s leading wind fair, took place again as an in-person fair. The Universal Transport Group did not miss this opportunity for personal networking. The heavy haulage expert presented the newest member of its fleet on the outside of the fair. Universal Transport is reacting to the development in the wind energy industry towards ever larger systems: 15 years ago, rotor blades were well under 50 meters long, today they are over 75 meters. These blade lengths and corresponding weights push conventional transport equipment to its limits. The innovative back-up transport system, which can also transport the latest generation of rotor blades for wind turbines, met with great interest from the HUSUM Wind audience.
Green Worldwide Shipping handles Trent 700 aircraft engine
GPLN member Green Worldwide Shipping from the United States, was approached to handle the transport of a $10 million dollar Trent 700 aircraft engine under incredibly restricted conditions from Los Angeles, California to Luxembourg.
Weighing 18,555 lbs., the Trent 700 engine dimensions (196x125x120 inches) and scale made it a challenging piece of equipment to move. Requiring on-site supervision and instructed that no forklifting was allowed, Green Worldwide Shipping freight experts took on the challenge of moving the expensive aircraft engine via freighter.
Moving under over-sized permits, the engine was picked up from the greater Phoenix, Arizona area on Thursday, August 26th and transported to LAX International Airport in Los Angeles, California. On Friday, August 27th, Green freight experts were on-site to coordinate the extremely complicated transfer into the air freighter.
Utilizing a specialized Boeing engine cradle with a built-in ULD designed to clear the door size within an inch and loading manual created specifically for Trent engine handling, Green coordinated the careful transfer of the engine.
Due to the forklift restriction, a crane and certified spreader bar were used to safely unload the Trent 700 engine from the flatbed, onto a dolly. To ensure maximum safety during the transfer, Green freight experts confirmed all lifting points and rigging equipment were secure; and important details, such as the angle of the loading straps being outside of the outer diameter of the engine to limit contact and damage to the engine, were followed.
The engine departed LAX International Airport on Saturday August, 28th and was received and delivered safely and on-time in Luxembourg on Sunday, August 29th.
360 Logistics transport transformers to Perth
Recently, GPLN member 360 Logistics were called upon to assist a good client with urgent cargo from China to Australia.
Due to a mine site shutdown, 360 Logistics were requested to urgently transport 6 transformers to Perth, Australia. Each transformer was 272 x 209 x 190cm – 6250kg
The cargo was packed and ready for transport on the first day of Golden week in China, due to flight and airport restrictions the 6 transformers were trucked from the factory to Macau (a journey of about 3 days) and then loaded on a charter IL76 to transport to Perth, Australia.
The flight and cargo arrived in Perth safely at about 1am and was immediately off loaded from the aircraft and then loaded on 2 x waiting trucks, to be delivered to the client by 08:00 the same day.
The whole operation was overseen from 360 Logistics Australian Offices The client was exceptionally happy with the speed and outcome of the whole operation to ensure the mine site shutdown was not affected.
CKB provide Caterpillar 3516 lifting & rolling service
GPLN member PT Cipta Krida Bahari (CKB Group), has been awarded a project logistics service for the lifting and rolling management of Caterpillar Industrial Machinery (CAT) 3516. The number of CAT 3516 Industrial Machines is 3 (three) units with the heaviest main enclosure of 30 tons and the longest size of 12 meters. Prior to carrying out the lifting process, CKB Group will mobilize and dismantled the 170T Crane to the construction site.
The area for mobilization and positioning of the 170T crane must be cleared without colliding with materials, scaffolding by prioritizing the safety aspect. The 170T crane lifts all parts of the enclosure and machinery at the top of the building. After all machine parts are assembled, the unit will rotate 90 degrees using jacking & rolling equipment.
A prudent survey, operating plan analysis, routes and selection of the right type of transportation are key factors for successful delivery, which means meeting the customer’s expectation with CKB Group solutions. The project was challenged by Indonesia’s geographical conditions and inadequate infrastructure; thus, the company played an important role in restoring the necessary infrastructure such as strengthening local bridges so it could be crossed by the project shipment transportation. Nevertheless, with CKB Group vast experience in handling this kind of project, the shipment of these cargoes was delivered on time and safely.
Cargo Way provide logistics services for film productions
Our offices in Chile and Uruguay were bustling in 2021 with the increase of filming industry activity. Major streaming players targeted both countries because of how well their governments performed facing the covid crisis.
From recreating the Rio de Janeiro’s 70’s in Uruguay to WWII Europe in South America, GPLN member Cargo Way was the proud logistics provider for more than 15 filming productions across the continent. High-value material with extra sensitive requirements, moved temporarily from country to country with our fleet of air ride trucks or by air with our IATA coverage and attending our customers’ schedule and care needs.
“It is always a challenge to move highly sensitive material such as a set of collimated cameras. Extra care, using the right vehicle and special handling, ends up avoiding additional adjustments of the material after delivery and saves production time for our customers.” said Rodrigo Picolli – CEO of Cargo Way.
Polaris Shipping handles several project shipments
GPLN member Polaris Shipping Agencies LLC (United Arab Emirates) project team was busy executing several project shipments in August 2021, handling a wide variety of project cargo from drilling rigs, construction equipment’s to OOG shipments of roto mill process module and accessories. Some of the shipments handled successfully are listed below:
1) Local handling of Bauer Drilling Rig BG 2H ex Turkey Polaris Projects was responsible for local handling of Bauer Drilling Rigs Turkey which was customs cleared and delivered safely to Receivers. Being shipment for one of our prime accounts, Polaris’s scope covered receipt from Under Hook inward vessel, necessary third-party independent survey, shifting from discharge berth to Customs inspection point for necessary inspections, final customs clearance and road delivery to receivers which was carried out to their full satisfaction.
2) Construction Equipment’s to Europe and from China to UAE Polaris Projects with satisfactory handling of several shipment of construction equipment’s has been awarded another repeated order for time bound delivery of construction equipment’s including excavators, telescopic forklifts, Bulldozers, Truck mounted cranes etc. from UAE to Europe and also from Port Lianyungang, China to UAE.
Both shipments combined with around 4200 freight tons and maximum unit weight of 72 MT was awarded to Polaris with strict delivery deadline which was executed on time as agreed. Thanks to special and preferential support provided by our regular liner operators with whom Polaris enjoy excellent and preferential relations considering the volumes and mutual commitments. Polaris’s scope included pre-carriage from Suppliers, complete all related Customs requirements, third party independent surveys, liaising and coordinating for all related documentations and handling at load as well as discharge ports, sourcing of suitable vessel basis liner terms etc. Since Polaris represents several European Heavy lift Carriers including BBC Chartering as their port agents in all Middle East ports it gives Polaris better possibilities to source suitable charter tonnage, if required in addition to liner possibilities with whom also we have excellent relations.
3) Receiving and local handling of Roto mill process module and accessories Polaris Projects was entrusted with local handling of a shipment of Roto Mill Module along with accessories which was shipped ex Southampton, UK to Abu Dhabi on 2 x 40’ and 2 x 20’ flat racks after necessary dismantling so as to be accommodated on container vessels with the biggest piece having cargo width of 3.5m and height of 4.55m
Considering our scope also included with door delivery and with a maximum height restriction of 5m allowed on UAE roads officially, Polaris experienced team arranged for proper route survey prior vessel arrival with necessary method of statements and route map prepared for Client’s go ahead and also for necessary approvals from authorities. Required trailers including special low loaders were positioned alongside with permissions from port authority to avoid any delay for vessel operation. Subsequently on completion of all formality’s shipment was transported overnight with required police permission/ escort and delivered to receivers on time.
Star Shipping handle multiple tasks in 2021
GPLN member Star Shipping from Pakistan completed successfully the discharge of cargo through an offshore heavy crane at Karachi Port. The operation team was hiring an American Hoist 9310 crane with a capacity of 225 tons for their clients and performed this job within two days. The scope of services included also full coordination and seeking permissions from authorities. Furthermore, Star Shipping handled another recent shipment: 3x 68 tons car body crane and various accessories. POL Shanghai, China / POD Karachi, Pakistan, just to name a few.
Star Shipping delivered successfully over 15 projects since the beginning of 2021, despite the difficult Covid situation.
