The port

journey of
precious furnaces
Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo

The port journey of precious furnaces – Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo 1
 Challenging Out of Gauge cargo

Transporting a heavy lift and pressure sensitive furnace together

with its accessories from Germany to a Chinese factory located
400 km inland: as challenges go, this was one for the books.

Furthermore, due to its oversized dimension and heavy weight, the

furnace could not fit into a standard container. Still, it needed to
be shipped on a container vessel, along with accessory equipment,
pipes, infrastructural and ceramic components.

Fortunately, the shipper could rely on the experience and know

how of the many project cargo experts at Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
The team of experts succeeded in getting the cargo safely from the
terminal in Antwerp to its final destination. Let's take you through
the journey.

The port journey of precious furnaces – Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo 2
1. One single point of contact
A complex transport like this and across such a challenging
distance is not to be taken lightly. Planning, calculations and
negotiations for the furnace's transport to Antwerp alone
took between one and two months.

In close consultation with the port’s terminal operator

and the shipping agent, the shipper transported the
Out of Gauge cargo over land from the Ruhr area to the
terminal in Antwerp. Upon its arrival, an Antwerp-based
forwarding company took charge of the cargo, its handling
and transport – including its shipment to China. Thus, the
shipper was ensured one single point of contact for the
entire planning, execution, and follow-up of his cargo.

The port journey of precious furnaces – Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo 3
 2. Lifting 35 tonnes with
high precision
As the furnace would not fit on a flat rack,
it needed to be dismantled into two parts,
each weighing 35 tonnes. These parts were
to be mounted on a heavy-duty crate floor of
solid wood. An Antwerp expert team had
constructed this customized floor well in
advance - based on plans of a previous and
similar shipment of the shipper.

The terminal operator provided a heavy lift

overhead crane with a capacity of 60 tonnes.
Mounting the furnace on the box floor required
absolute precision: the elements needed to be
lifted in a perfectly vertical position to prevent
the pressure sensitive heat stone inside the
blast furnace from breaking.

The subsequent load of furnace accessories arrived during the

following three weeks. These had to be shipped with the furnace,
as one lot. To do so, several teams at the Antwerp port terminal
first needed to sort, consolidate and pack them for overseas
transport.

To ensure a secure handling, the shipper’s cargo engineer

accompanied the load all the way to its destination in China.

The port journey of precious furnaces – Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo 4
3. Shockproof packaging
Before packing, an in-house packing team secured the furnace
parts to the wooden floor with nylon cord lash. They then
wrapped the parts in HD foil after adding packets of desiccant
to prevent moisture from affecting the precious cargo.

DID YOU KNOW? The crate’s floor was

custom-made at the terminal using
solid wooden beams to accommo-
date the weight of the furnace parts.
The in-house packing crew adapted
the floor to the shape of the furnace.

After the furnace was mounted on the floor, the in-house packing
team started assembling the case. First, packing specialists
calculated exactly how much wood of which quality they needed
for a large strong case like this one. In their building plans they
had to take into account maximum dimensions, so the entire
transport could be completed without obstructions.

As this box had to withstand multiple manipulations and a

demanding inland transport in China, the packing team
reinforced the outside lifting points with iron. A crane lifted the
box onto a 40-foot flat rack as Out of Gauge cargo that fits on a
container ship - taking a well-balanced weight spread into account.

The furnace accessories are equally wrapped, fixed in frames

and consolidated. The total shipment, finally, consisted of 6 x 40’
High Cube (HC) containers and 8 x 40’ flat rack containers.
Out of Gauge (OOG) cargo is any
cargo that - due to its overdimension
and/or heavy weight - cannot fit into
a closed standard box container.
Cargo exceeding the maximum 40/45’
High Cube inside dimensions (max.
length 12,03/13,55 m x (door opening)
width 2,33m x height 2,59 m) always
needs customized solutions.

The port journey of precious furnaces – Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo 5
 4. Shipping by barge to container terminal
Responsible editor Havenbedrijf Antwerpen-Brugge, Zaha Hadidplein 1, 2030 Antwerpen — Pictures © Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority — April 2022 — 400801 — D/2022/12.443/12 The port journey of precious furnaces – Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo

With constant supervision by the terminal operator, from the multipurpose terminal to the container terminal
crane operators loaded the containers and flat racks in Antwerp. Thanks to precise preload planning, the
onto the barges, using Gottwald cranes with spreaders. terminal and barge operators ensured an even weight
Two barges were necessary to transfer the total cargo spread.

5. Regular liner services to the Far East

At the container terminal, all major container shipping As soon as the vessel arrived at the port of destination,
companies offer regular liner services to the Far East. a Chinese shipping agent took over the coordination,
Here, using a gantry crane, the operator carefully ensuring smooth unloading and inland transport.
transshipped the cargo from the barges into the ocean
vessel, again taking extra care not to shift the content
of the crates and containers.

Port of Antwerp-Bruges forwarders: the can-do mindset

Port of Antwerp-Bruges boasts many specialized forwarders in heavy lift and project cargo logistics. Here,
knowledge-based project management is key: the Antwerp project cargo forwarders are reputed
worldwide for their broad multidisciplinary knowledge of project logistics and their can-do mentality.
They think many steps ahead and seemingly realize impossible and difficult transport, with care for the
often very sensitive and expensive cargo. Through expertise, they unburden the shipper, which makes
them a crucial part in the supply chain for this type of cargo.

Shipping project cargo requires by definition a very

unique and personalized approach. Everything we do
at the multipurpose terminals is tailored
to the specific cargo at hand.”
Jo Van der herten, Key account manager Port of Antwerp-Bruges

Port of Antwerp-Bruges would like to thank Wijngaard Natie for their generous collaboration with this case.

Check regular updates on topics Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority

like project cargo and breakbulk at Zaha Hadidplein 1
www.portofantwerpbruges.com 2030 Antwerp
Belgium
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The port journey of precious furnaces – Discover the challenges of packing and stuffing Out of Gauge cargo 6