Heavy lift cargo moves from barge to sea-going vessel

The beginning of the autumn storm season sometimes whirls up project logistics planned down to the last detail. Gerd Illing, Regional General Manager Projects at a. hartrodt in Hamburg, reports on this: "The loading of two grinding machines, each weighing 105 tons, from a manufacturer in Franconia for the production of ball bearings in China has been postponed in Antwerp from the end of September to the beginning of October." The sea-going vessel arrived delayed in the Belgian port due to weather conditions. However, the experienced project logistics specialists at a. hartrodt kept all strings firmly in hand for the customer, even during the storm.

Smooth cooperation is important

During the project loading to Shanghai, a. hartrodt was responsible for the smooth cooperation with all project participants in Antwerp. Everything had to run seamlessly between the consignor, packaging company, terminal operator, vessel planner, carrier and other partners. Because punctual and undamaged delivery is a priority. "The coordination work is quite extensive and challenging with such loadings," says Illing.

Heavy lift cargo weigh almost 89 tons

After the arrival of the disassembled machines in the port of Antwerp, a. hartrodt first arranged the seaworthy packing of the twenty packages. "The heaviest package of each machine was a wooden case weighing almost 89 tons and measuring 7.61 by 4.08 by 5.39 meters," says Illing. The heavy lift cargo was transported by barge from the packing station to the port terminal. There it was transferred directly to the sea-going vessel – a job for professionals: "By container gantry crane, this could technically only be accomplished in the aft position behind the bridge," explains the manager. In addition, special loading and safety precautions had to be taken because the packages had a high center of gravity "at almost 3 meters", according to Illing.

Whenever there are obstacles in project logistics, for example when changing the mode of transport, the specialists at a. hartrodt take a sporty approach: "For us, a high degree of flexibility for the customer is a matter of course with breakbulk shipments," emphasizes Illing.