Heavy-haul transport

The shipping industry is facing a prolonged period of geopolitical instability, attendees at the Journal of Commerce’s Breakbulk & Project Cargo Conference were told Thursday.

The global energy buildout in renewables and oil and gas has spurred the heavy-transport partners to order two new carriers.

The cost of moving flatbed loads from Baltimore to warehouses in western Maryland jumped more than $100 per load compared with February’s average cost, according to data from DAT Freight & Analytics.

New orders for open-hatch multi-purpose ships, some of them heavy-lift capable, have increased the MPV fleet growth forecast by 3.5% through 2028.

Billions of dollars in federal funds are available to scale up innovative green energy projects, once would-be developers make it through the DOE’s loan qualification process.

Amid growth in US infrastructure spending, the heavy-haul transport segment is calling for better synchronization among state transportation departments when it comes to oversized transport requirements and permitting processes.

With capacity restricted, global MPV/HL rates are expected to rise again starting in the second quarter of 2024.

The biggest trucking acquisition of 2023 gives Canada’s TFI an additional $1.8 billion in annual revenue and nearly 20 operating subsidiaries hauling oversized, heavy freight.

GPA's ability to handle growing volumes has attracted the likes of Rivian and Hyundai, both planting roots in Georgia to export vehicles from new facilities through Brunswick.

Fresh investments among oilfield services giants should bolster the offshore services market, with supply chain spending expected to grow 16% in 2023 and 2024.

The funding shortage for breakbulk port facilities will create severe constraints on both cargo owners and vessel operators as offshore wind construction accelerates and new types of energy projects are developed.

Dutch conglomerate SHV’s planned divestment of Mammoet, the world’s largest heavy-lift and engineered transport company, could have a “very important impact” on the sector, according to one consultant.

EPC projects drive much of the global demand for project and breakbulk logistics services from carriers, forwarders, and other suppliers.

Sanctions against Russia have sharply reduced available heavy-lift air tonnage even as energy sector demand escalates.

New projects and those that had been delayed have begun moving, but the truck driver shortage and higher fuel costs could dampen a bright outlook for the US heavy-haul sector.

As the US economy reopens, more states are speeding up the permitting process for oversize/overweight flatbed loads, as cargo diversion complicates routing.

Housing, energy, and manufacturing are generating intense demand for flatbed transportation at a time when a shortage of materials is disrupting supply chains.

As container vessels and freight clog major ports, oversized and overweight project cargo is being rerouted coast to coast, driving up ocean shipping and inland transportation costs.

New contracts firm up heavy transport and heavy lift firm Fagioli’s 2021 outlook despite the pandemic-driven industry-wide downturn of 2020.

The project industry is cutting logistics staff in the face of a looming “project pipeline” shortfall, concentrating specialized know-how into fewer hands.

US land-based heavy transport has largely been able to continue during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to its designation as an essential service, but like other parts of the project supply chain, the sector could see waning demand as the oil and gas industry pulls back on capital expenditures.

Hit hard by COVID-19, a "patchwork" of high and heavy cargoes keeps the market afloat after a sharp drop in imports across the US’ top ro-ro ports.

Russia's spring thaw allows Combi Lift and SAL to begin delivery of project cargo for a massive Siberian gas project.

UHT will represent a fleet of five semi-submersible heavy transport vessels under a partnership agreement with China-based owner Guangzhou Salvage and commercial agent GS-Pango.

Supply chain bottlenecks could delay US wind farm development and endanger tax credit subsidies.

Cosco delivered a 3,700-mt bridge to Sweden even as the oil price crash hamstrings the spot market for the heavy transport sector.

South Dakota, Illinois, and Virginia are among the US states at the head of the pack in terms of automating route analysis and permit issuance for oversized cargo moves.

Because there is no national permitting standard for moving oversized loads across the US, obtaining permits can be an expensive, time-consuming process for trucking operators, or it can be a breeze.

Officials say the funding will help complete the Oregon river port’s partially finished breakbulk terminal and expedite project cargoes for two ambitious wind energy projects in the state.

Economic uncertainty eases, but overcapacity and changes in fleet makeup continue to pressure the MPV/HL sector.

With its acquisition of ALE complete, Mammoet will own the world's largest fleet of heavy lifting and transport equipment, outstripping global competitors Sarens and Fagioli.

A busy renewable energy sector and stable oil and gas markets have collided with persistent overcapacity in the multipurpose/heavy-lift (MPV/HL) sector, causing rate growth to sputter and stall.

US wind energy capacity reached 100 GW in the third quarter of 2019, and with another 45.6 GW in the development pipeline, heavy-haul trucking carriers may struggle to keep pace with demand.

Cooperation between super-heavy carriers is a sign of a strengthening project market.

With scrapping levels still relatively low, overcapacity is expected to continue to keep downward pressure on multipurpose/heavy-lift (MPV/HL) vessel rates.

MPP sales and purchases are unfreezing as faith in the market builds and capacity remains tight, according to Toepfer Transport.

Consolidation through mergers and acquisitions among heavy-lift and project carriers and a rebound in demand in the mining and energy markets have the heavy transport sector “on the cusp of a boom,” according to industry executives.

The merger of Mammoet and ALE, two of the three largest heavy-lift transport providers, raises major questions for competitor Sarens.

Roll-on/roll-off carriers see potential in the breakbulk and high and heavy markets despite potential geopolitical snags.

Svend Andersen, CEO of BBC Chartering, tells JOC.com that despite an improving market, the multipurpose and heavy-lift (MPV/HL) sector remains under pressure from overcapacity and rising regulatory costs.