Success Story — Port Project Cargo Movement

Behind the Move: Handling an Oversized Project Cargo

A breakbulk shipment, standing nearly 18 ft once loaded, had to clear railway crossings and live overhead power lines inside the port — with a full customs examination still to complete. Here’s how it moved.

~18 FT
Overall height once loaded
40′
Flat Rack & High Cube units
5
Teams coordinated on ground
Synopsis AREM Logistics — Cargo Handling
Moving oversized project cargo through a port takes more than transportation — it takes careful planning around every restriction along the route. For this shipment, AREM Logistics managed customs clearance and transportation for a mixed load of breakbulk cargo, 40′ Flat Rack and 40′ High Cube containers, with drivers, port workers, equipment operators and customs officials all coordinated on the ground.
The Challenge

A load too tall for the standard route

The breakbulk cargo itself stood approximately 15 ft high. Once loaded onto the vehicle, the overall height reached nearly 18 ft — well past what the port’s standard route could clear.

Railway crossings and overhead electrical lines inside the port had to be assessed before and during the movement. At certain points, electrical connections were temporarily switched off just to create enough clearance for the cargo to pass safely.

The size of the load created a second problem: the cargo was fully packed, which made a standard open customs examination difficult. A practical, on-ground solution was needed — one that wouldn’t hold up the shipment.

Roughly two feet of clearance stood between the loaded cargo and several fixed points along the port’s standard route — assessed crossing by crossing rather than by a single blanket route plan.
How AREM Handled It

Coordinated on the ground, decided in the moment

AREM team, port workers and a forklift operator coordinating around the packed cargo unit for customs examination
On-site coordination

For the customs examination, suitable cutting equipment was arranged at the port. A section of the packing was carefully opened to give inspecting officers real access, without unpacking — or delaying — the whole shipment.

At the same time, the transportation team worked around each identified height restriction, coordinating the movement through every critical point along the route.

Rather than following a fixed movement plan, the team made practical, ground-level decisions at each stage — matched to conditions as they were, not as they’d been planned on paper.

CHA Team Drivers Port Workers Equipment Operators Customs Officials
The Result

Cleared, examined, and moved through the port

The oversized cargo unit on a multi-axle trailer, in transit through the port at dawn The oversized cargo unit on a multi-axle trailer, in transit through the port at dawn

Despite the height restrictions, the electrical clearance requirements and the difficulty of examining fully packed cargo, the shipment moved through the port successfully. Clearances were managed, the customs examination was completed in coordination with officers, and transportation continued as planned.

What made the movement possible was not one single action, but the coordination between everyone involved — and the ability to find practical solutions at each stage.

For AREM Logistics, successful project cargo movement is about more than getting cargo from one point to another. It’s about making sure every challenge along the way has a solution.

Moving something oversized, breakbulk, or out of gauge?

Talk to the AREM project cargo team about route assessment, customs coordination and on-ground execution for your next shipment.

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