June 1 - A quarter of heavy lift and project cargo operations undertaken by members of the Project Cargo Network (PCN) demonstrate the wide variety of operations in this industry.

In Brazil, PCN member Double Star Logistics has completed the move of a large industrial project: an industrial boiler which consisted of eight items and weighed 250 tonnes, was trucked 300 km from Agrolandia to Itajai port where it then loaded on a breakbulk vessel service direct to Buenos Aires. After landing, the cargo was then trucked 350 km to the final site in Junin, Argentina. The project took just 12 days.

Meanwhile, PAC International in the US has assisted relief efforts in Japan following the devastating Tsunami of March 2011. The US forwarder is involved in the movement of steel pipes, each pipe exceeds 7 m in length and 500 kg in weight and involves careful loading techniques into three tiers. The pipes are strapped, blocked and hardwood is placed between layers to prevent any shifting on the flat rack containers. Each loading takes around five hours to complete.

In Turkey, SDV Horoz has handled a duo of projects. A recent transformer shipment weighing 169 tonnes required the use of a floating crane with a 600 tonne capacity to assist in the pier-to-pier transhipment. This was followed by loading on a 15 axle hydraulic trailer and offloading onto foundation at final delivery address.

A further project move from Trieste, Italy to Samsun, Turkey saw SDV Horoz move a 300 tonne engine measuring 14.52 m and its 72 tonne alternator from Mantyluoto, Finland which involved installation and offloading on to a prepared foundation.