Heavy-haul transport

The unknowns surrounding US tariffs and proposed fees on Chinese tonnage are forcing shipowners to take a wait-and-see approach to ordering new vessels.

Carriers in the specialized cargo sector are designing contracts that would shift the cost of the US’ possible tax on Chinese tonnage to heavy-lift and project cargo shippers.

Donald Trump said he planned to announce that the US would impose a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminum, both of which are key cargo types for the breakbulk sector.

Outside investment for project carriers is scarce, primarily because future project cargo flows are so difficult to predict.

Limited air freight options for specialized cargoes are not expected to ease in the short term.

A decline in sales of high-and-heavy equipment for the bellwether roll-on/roll-off cargo providers will reduce demand for breakbulk carriers.

Rapid urbanization and strong economic growth are driving project cargo volumes in India, although heavier cargoes are becoming harder to handle due to port equipment and infrastructure limitations.

Project slowdowns ease pressure on heavy transport service providers and the breakbulk supply chain, injecting realism into schedules, but a buoyant outlook could mask signs of stress, executives say.

Weaker demand, congestion and supply chain disruptions held back volumes at two of Europe’s largest breakbulk ports during the first six months of the year.

A 458-ton cold box, one of 24 heavy-haul transports bound for Intel’s newest chip plant, is inching its way across Ohio after a year-plus of planning.

Often oddly shaped or very heavy, project cargo does not necessarily consume all the deadweight space on a given vessel.

The US DOT’s latest iteration of a national multimodal freight network map presents an opportunity to pinpoint vital routes and address concerns specific to out-of-gauge and heavy-haul road transport.

The moves come as the project cargo market is set to continue its growth trajectory, supported by key sectors such as oil and gas and mining.

Deere and Caterpillar are facing a lackluster year as equipment sales soften amid lower commodity prices and market uncertainty.

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.