Multimodal approach to oversized cargo

Published: Tuesday, 21 June 2022

The transport of oversized cargo can occasionally bring equally great issues as the tried and tested methods of shipping ‘normal’ goods become irrelevant when faced with out of gauge, heavy or long-haul shipments that require inventive and sometimes novel logistical solutions. Additionally, the ongoing changes due to Brexit and the vast shipping container crisis continue to shape the industry’s approach to the handling of oversized goods.

As air capacity continues to recover from the pandemic, many customers are returning to air charter for their oversized shipments, but we have found that creative multimodal methods are often the best solution for these challenges. As an end-to-end provider, very few of our awarded jobs involve just one form of transport, especially when it comes to oversized cargo.

Recently we were tasked with an emergency shipment to get a replacement ‘arm’ for a life-saving hospital scanner from the Netherlands to a hospital in Namibia in less than 48 hours. Typically, Next Flight Out (NFO) shipments are reserved for small, emergency cargo and during the pandemic NFOs were harder to coordinate for many forwarders because of the lack of flights and irregular routes. For added complexity, this single piece weighed two tonnes and was almost five metres in length.

However, Priority Freight was able to secure NFO transport for the part, even with its unconventional size. By negotiating with the airline in both Amsterdam and Frankfurt, and preparing for customs clearance in Namibia ahead of time, Priority Freight’s London Heathrow team ensured the unit and the equipment needed for offload into the hospital travelled through customs at each airport without delay. Due to the medical importance of the diagnostic machinery, the situation in Namibia was quickly escalated to national government level.

Priority Freight arranged all the necessary documentation, outbound and inbound clearance, additional irregular weight and dimension transportation, first and last mile delivery and intercontinental air uplift for delivery within just 48 hours. The purpose-built crate was then used to ship the broken part back to the manufacturer in the UK for quality control analysis. Contrary to popular dialogue, neither the pandemic, nor Brexit, have made the handling and processing of goods more complex for us at Priority Freight. In fact, it has resulted in a welcome acceleration of digital documentation and processes which have been well received. This, combined with our government approved ‘Faster Clearance by Priority Customs’ process, ensures the rapid transport of goods without border delays. Although the actual methods used for shipments may be in a state of flux, the volume of oversized shipments is likely to remain constant and we, at Priority Freight, will continue to evaluate and select the best approach for each shipment with flexible, efficient and multimodal solutions.